Hyperdimension Chronicles: Arc One
by CloneNo.9982
Summary: When the Goddess Celestia battled against her corrupted sibling Arfoire...things were never the same again for the four continents of gamindustri and its people. Chaos reigned everywhere as Arfoire's followers spread the Deity of Sin's will. But with Celestia's intervention, will gamindustri be saved from the wave of terror?
1. Chapter 1 - The First CPU

Disclaimer: Hyperdimension Neptunia and Fairy Fencer F characters and rights are owned by Idea Factory and Compile Heart.

Chapter 1 - The First CPU

The world of Gamindustri…

A place where humans and other living beings thrive. A world created by the goddess named Celestia, divided in to four separate continents each. One is the snowy northern continent, where most magic users thrive. It is the biggest landmass of all continents. Then we have the eastern and western continent, both thrived with poor population, although the east is the one filled with natural resources becoming its source of income but due to internal strifes and civil uprisings, its economy did not prosper. The western continent, however is the poorest place. Populated by fishermen and merchants, all making an honest living delivering their goods to other places. And last is the southern continent, separated from the three landmasses by a large sea. It is rich in natural resources as well but unlike the east, its economy thrived better and faster. A land with divided regions but all ruled by a tyrant monarch. Its people, however called for liberation from the tyrant and its people wants the unification of all regions turning the south into a single, unified nation. And thus a civil war occurred, led and won by a man named Ben Gheytz who then became the new ruler of the now unified land that he named Leanbox, a name built from the support of its people for fighting for their land's freedom from tyranny and attainment of unification. And thus Leanbox thrived into modernization, becoming gamindustri's first military and economic power.

However, in the heavens above, Arfoire, Celestia's twin sister, has become too envious of her sibling that she has challenged Celestia to a battle. A battle that will decide who is truly the strongest goddess. But battling Celestia did Arfoire no good. Arfoire's deep obsession to defeat her sister has made her corrupted. With this Celestia, reluctantly, banished Arfoire from the heavens and was sent to the underworld to deprive her of heavenly powers.

But Arfoire's corruption became so immense that it turned itself into dark energy, engulfing Arfoire and turning her into a vile goddess. With this dark power, Arfoire went up to the human world and started inticing people to believe in her, to fight against those who believe in celestia's ways. And before Celestia could even notice, it was too late. Arfoire has gained enough followers to make her as strong as before. Arfoire's followers, known as the Legion, wreaked havoc on parts of gamindustri. But the most heavily affected was the southern continent, Leanbox. And to ensure Arfoire's followers to achieve victory on the lands, she has bestowed one of her followers a part of her powers, turning that person into her APU or Arfoire's Patron Unit. This move angered Celestia because for her, imbuing a human with godly energy is heresy. And with this she decided to confront Arfoire to end this dispute once and for all. And so as the battle rages on the lands, the two goddess battled on the heavens. However, as the battle lengthens, the two found out that they were equally matched so they both created a vast number of special weapons imbued with their godly energy to finally seal each other. Armed with these weapons, the two deities' battle went on, inflicting even more damage to each other. And at the end it was Celestia who remained standing, with Arfoire defeated and is nearing concealment. But before Arfoire could be completely sealed, she summoned one last sword imbued with what remains of her dark energy and hurled it towards the goddess at immeasurable speeds. Celestia tried to deflect it using one of her weapons but to no avail. The dark sword only got slightly chipped while Celestia's weapon shattered. Thus Celestia got struck down by the dark sword. However, this move has taken its toll on Arfoire and she got sealed completely. As for Celestia, even if she managed to pull off the sword from her body, it rendered her immobile. She is certain that her concealment was inevitable. And even if their dark goddess got sealed, Arfoire's Legion remained formidable on Leanbox. So in a final effort, she allowed a drop of her blood to drop into the earth. Although she was against it, she had no choice. Her children must be saved from the wave of evil and terror. "My thoughts be with the chosen…." She said. And with her final words, Celestia too got sealed.

While Celestia's blood drops to the earth, it somehow hardened, turning into a crystal-like stone. A stone in which contains not only a part of Celestia's body but of her thoughts as well. And the one fortunate enough to find it was a certain girl who is struggling to survive in the war-torn Leanbox. This girl is also the daughter of Leanbox's hero. And when the stone possessed the girl, it immediately transformed her into a being unlike any human. This being was then called Celestia's Patron Unit or CPU. And this CPU-

* * *

"Oooh! We finally reached the part about my beloved Vert!"

"Uhh…yeah. But seriously, it wasn't nice to cut me off like that."

Two young women were talking inside an Archive Room of a place called a Basilicom, the capital building of a nation ruled by a CPU.

"Now you've done it. Because of your interruption, I'm lost in recollecting what I've read here in the archives." Said one of the girls. This girl has green, shoulder length hair and red eyes. Her outfit is black with gold colors and consists of a turtleneck top that is a bit torn up, white fingerless gloves, pants with detatched zip-up legs, white boots, and a dual-strap holster on her right thigh. And on her shoulder was a monster-like plushy with a red and white umbrella over it.

"Oh come on, sis! You had to stop when things were finally getting interesting." Said the other girl who looks younger than the other girl. This girl also has green hair and red eyes, but she dresses in a sleek black dress with black bows on the sides and long frills draping off the sides with a bright green coloring under them. She wears thigh high socks that are black and on her feet are matching black heels with purple bows in the center. "Come on, Vio! Tell me more about lady Vert's heroic battle against Arfoire's Legion! She persisted.

"How persistent. And come on. I also fought alongside Vert too, you know." sighed Vio.

"I know you did sis and I, Chika your little sibling, admire you for that. I mean, lady Vert did gave you the title of General, right? She said in a very proud voice. "But still, lady Vert's transition from human to CPU and on how she saved this land of ours fascinates me so!"

"Yeah. But sadly it was too late for Vert. She may have saved Leanbox, but she wasn't able to save her father in time." Vio said bitterly.

"Oh yes…. Mr. Gheytz was killed by the Legion's leader, right?" said Chika sadly.

"When Vert discovered that 'thing', she told me that someone whispered in her mind. Telling her on how to harness its powers." Vio continued on. "And by the time we got to the capital, we were too late. It got overrun by the Legion, with Sir Gheytz among the casualties."

"But he's quite a skilled archer, am I right?" said Chika.

"True. His archery skills and his weapon, the Wisdom Bow, then were yet to be beaten by anyone." Said Vio. "But it seems everything turned upside down on him when he met the Legion's leader. Arfoire's Patron Unit was too much even for a skilled warrior like Sir Ben Gheytz. Vert wasn't able to save her father then. But," Vio then looked at her younger sister with a smile of satisfaction. "I am glad that she was able to save you."

"And I am forever grateful for that." Said Chika proudly.

"No wonder you idolize her so much."

"Oh don't be jealous, Vio. Like I said I admire you too. Not as much as I admire lady Vert, though."

"Y-yeah…. thanks."

"What I don't like about the both of you are your passion for things that are…weird. Yes, you two are certified weirdos. I mean…there are so many good genres and yet- "

"Anyway…." Vio interrupted her sister's rants. "After saving you, Vert confronted the Leader. It became a battle between different Patron Units. While the two battled, I joined with Leanbox's remaining forces in fighting off the Legion's forces. So with me and my trusty .50cal Desert Eagles and rocket launchers, we pushed through the enemy forces like they were hordes of the und- "

"You've already told me that before, Vio. Can we just…. skip to lady Vert's part of the history?"

"Fine…." Said a disheartened and annoyed Vio. "Vert then faced off with the Leader of- "

"Does their leader really not have a name?" Chika said, interrupting Vio once more.

"No!" shouted an irritated Vio. "And even the whole archive didn't mention any name about the Legion's leader. She's just only known as Arfoire's Patron Unit or the Legion's Leader."

"Pretty anonymous of her, huh." Said Chika.

"Regardless of that, what is important is that Vert was able to defeat her. Killed the APU even. And, that was it." Vio continued. "The APU's defeat has put the Legion in disarray. However, as you can see today, we were only able to push them out of the nation. We weren't able to fully eliminate them."

"Well at least they are off our shoes now." Said Chika confidently.

"Good thing." Said Vio in agreement. "However…Vert did said something odd when she killed the leader."

"Like what?"

"As I can recall her saying, she told me that dark energy came spewing out of the dead APU's body. And then it just… flew away."

"It just…flew away?" repeated Chika.

"She said that there were four masses of those dark energies that came out of the dead APU. Like they were…dark spirits."

"So that means…the battle is not yet over, yes?"

"We may have won the battle here at Leanbox, but Arfoire's forces still remain standing out there on the other lands." Concluded Vio.

"That sucks."

"Where is Vert anyway?"

"Ooh! She's in her adorable room right now. Are you gonna go there? Can I come with you?! Said Chika very excitedly.

"No. Go back to your room. I'm just gonna discuss something with Vert."

"By the way…"

"What is it?"

"Vio, did you went here in the archives room just to know all of this info?"

"Yeah." Vio confirmed. "Funny, I should ask you that as well. Since you've been pretty nosy on what I have learned."

"Well, let's say I got just as curious as you are, my dear sister." Chika said to Vio.

"Knowing you, I think you only wanted to know Vert's part in history."

* * *

And so the siblings left the archive room and went to the room of Leanbox's new leader and sole cpu of gamindustri, where it is located at the topmost floor of a box-like (or cross-like) building. Standing at the heart of Leanbox's capital, this white, high tech building with green highlights was conceptualized by Gheytz and built by Leanbox's brightest engineers as a sign of the nation's move into full modernization.

"We are here. ~" Chika said when the two of them reached Vert's quarters via an elevator. "Her room is as majestic as ever! Kyaaa~!" she squealed afterwards.

"Hmph." Breathed out Vio, finding Chika's remarks as amusing. "Majestic maybe to the eyes of fellow enthusiasts. But for me, it's a tad too much…otaku-ness in it."

"Th-that's a pretty rude thing to say to lady Vert!"

"Okay…sorry, sorry." Vio replied without being sorry at all.

Chika was not kidding, though. Vert's room really does fit to be called majestic. Fit for a princess to live in. However, like what Vio mentioned, what are more noticeable to her room are the vast amounts of animè figurines (mostly male characters), video disks, posters and other paraphernalia like video game console boxes and game disk cases.

"I am guessing she's in her game room. I can tell before that she is eager to get back on playing her games after more than 2 years of fighting off the Legion without a single break." Vio said with annoyance in her voice.

"Oh please don't talk like you are no different, Vio." Said Chika, annoyed at her sister lashing out on Vert. "I do remember you rummaging on your stuff to find and read your…whatever it is that you like reading. You were so eager to relax that time too, right?! So don't talk like you are innocent from slacking off, sis!"

"Still its no reason for her to slack off until those Arfoire fanatics are completely dealt with." And as she said that, she proceeded to open the door to vert's game room.

And inside they found the person they are looking for, huddled down on the floor, in front of widescreen monitors which are connected on both a gaming console and a Personal Computer. Vert, a woman with long curled blond hair with long bangs neatly framing her face. She has deep blue eyes that are not full open. She wears a dark, sea foam colored dress with sleeves and black spiked cuffs at the end. And not to mention that she is quite curvy and busty. On her head was a headset connected to the console, the reason she didn't noticed Vio and Chika come in. As Vert was busy pushing buttons on her controller, Vio just ogled at her in disappointment while Chika looks at Vert with admiration.

"Oh…to be in lady vert's private room…"

"You admire just about everything about her, huh." Said Vio in annoyance. "Hey." She tapped Vert on the shoulder. "Sorry to bother you on your 'little break', but do you plan on completely eliminating the remainder of the Legion or not?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's you Vio." Vert then paused her game, which was a popular first-person shooter in Leanbox before the war with the Legion started, and removed her headset. "What is it that you want?"

"Hello, lady Vert!" Chika couldn't resist saying.

"As I was saying," Vio started. "The remainder of the Legion is still out there. And I was hoping you are planning on eliminating them for good."

"I am fully aware of that." Vert told Vio. "But for now, please let me relax for a bit. It has been a very long time since I have done this, you know." After giving Vio a smile, Vert then proceeded to wear her headset again and resumed her game.

"See, Vio? Lady Vert is busy. You can just ask her la-" But Chika cut her sentence short after seeing Vio pick up a thin gaming magazine and started rolling it as thick as possible.

"Uhm…what are you going to do with that?" Chika asked her sister with concern.

 _ ***WHACK!***_

"OUCH!"

Vio whacked Vert on the head using the rolled over magazine. However, her hit was so strong that it knocked away Vert's headset off her head.

"Why did you do that?!"

The one that screamed those words were Chika, however.

"Oh my goodness, Vio…. I think I'm seeing stars from that hit…" whined Vert.

"Vert, I know you're just enjoying this moment of peace after experiencing a very long ordeal, but 'playing video games for almost three days' is too much! You are now the leader of this nation for Celestia's sake!"

"I am aware of that, Vio." Said a teary-eyed Vert as she stood up while still rubbing the sore part of her head where the magazine made its mark. "Have the drones that I've sent returned now?"

"What drones?"

"See, Vio?! Lady Vert has planned on ahead before playing her games." Chika scolded.

"I've ordered our military to send out scouting drones to search for whereabouts of the Legion forces. And come to think of it," she then looked at the screen of her gaming monitor to see the time. "its about time the reports are coming in. Follow me if you will." She gestured to the other two girls to follow her.

"This I got to see."

"I'll follow you anywhere you go, lady vert."

* * *

And so the three of them went down and proceeded to the Basilicom's command center, the busiest place of the entire facility, where it runs 24/7 nonstop with each staff trying their best to survey the surroundings of Leanbox. Making sure to monitor its sovereignty.

"Vert, I gotta say that Mr. Gheytz really did a lot of upgrading on this place. It never fails to impress me, you know." Said Vio while admiring the center's high tech equipment.

"Well my father did have the knack on inventing a lot of stuff." Vert said proudly. "So, have the drones sent any information from their surveillance?" she addressed her staff.

"Yes, my lady." Said a female staff. "We were able to capture some live feeds from the drones."

"Very good. So, what did the drones saw?" Vert asked to the staff.

"Drone alpha, who surveyed only Leanbox's perimeter, managed to locate a few Legion grunts on the outskirts of our nation."

"Very well. Send some troops after them." Vert ordered. "This will finally wipe out the Legion's foothold on Leanbox."

"Drone beta, who surveyed the eastern continent, showed no signs of Legion activity on the area."

"The east is just as isolated as the north, right?" Vio tried to recall. "Not to mention a lot of civil unrest on the east."

"As for Drone gamma, who surveyed the western continent, we managed to capture a lot of video feeds from it before it got taken down by unknown forces."

"Bingo." Said Vio.

"Indeed. So they have taken refuge on the poorest place in the world." Said Vert. "Show me the video feed of drone gamma."

"Yes, my lady."

At a push of a button by the staff, one of the monitors showed the feed from drone gamma. First it showed a few Legion soldiers pointing their guns on citizens. Then after that, it showed Legion troops camped on a lone location far east of the western continent. And while this video was being viewed, a flash of light was seen on the video…before the video ended abruptly.

"So it got cut off there, huh." Vio said.

"Hmm… can you show me the part before that mysterious light showed up." Vert ordered to her staff.

"Yes, my lady."

"Hmm… there. Please pause on that part." She asked to her staff. "Magnify it for me."

The magnified video showed some Legion soldiers around the area. However, what caught Vert's attention was a woman among the Legion soldiers, despite that the magnified video is slightly pixelated. This woman had black wing-like structure on her back.

"Okay then. Play the video up until to the part where the light came out." Vert ordered.

And as the video played on up until the part that Vert mentioned, "Stop right there." it confirmed Vert's suspicions. The paused video showed that the flash of light came from that woman.

"So, she's the one who fired at the drone." Said Chika.

"But, she looks… odd for a soldier." Said Vio in confusion. "I mean, she looks somewhat like you Vert. With the wings and all…"

"Does that mean the Legion's leader is still… alive?!" Chika said with caution.

"No. I swear I killed her." Assured Vert to Chika. "The last strike I gave her was enough to extinguish her life away. But, could it be…"

"The dark energy that came out of the dead leader's corpse that you mentioned." Said Vio, completing Vert's sentence.

"Yes, Vio. And they were four of those that came out. Hmm… I wonder if its possible."

"Well, we can head there to go and find out." Suggested Vio.

"Yes, we will head out there. The people of the western continent seems in need of help so we will go there along with a couple of our forces. I believe that that woman we saw is the new leader of the Legion. And if so, I'll be the one to stop her."

"You might wanna hear this, lady Vert." said one of the staffs. "Before ending its transmission, Drone gamma managed to record an audio from where it crashed. It seems to be coming from enemy troops."

"Play it for me, please." Requested Vert.

When the staff played the audio clip it sounded static at first. Then came a woman's voice…

"…. our leader may have perished from the hands of Celestia's patron, but her will still lingers among us. Together with my three brethren, we shall all create a new world order… one where everyone shall worship none but our holy Lady Arfoire. Our brave leader fought to spread Lady Arfoire's will, and we shall continue that mission."

"It sounds like their rebuilding their forces there." Said Vio.

"Indeed. We better hurry before they start influencing the entire western continent." Vert replied.

"However, the death of our leader means the death of the Legion as well. But worry not my brothers and sisters, for with us we shall start anew. A new force that will ensure that our Lady Arfoire's will be spread further. And those who will oppose us, shall face our wrath. Now, onward everyone. Spread the word of our lady! And carry with you all the name of our new order. The order… of ASIC! Long live Lady Arfoire! LONG LIVE ASIC!"

And as the audio clip ended, Vert and Vio looked at each other with concern in their faces. It seems that their moments of peace were short lived.

"Vio, I think we need to hurry."

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2 - Unexpected Guests

Chapter 2 – Unexpected Guests

After witnessing the events that are occurring at the Western Continent, CPU Vert and her forces prepared themselves to venture to the place along with some of Leanbox's forces. However, even as they hurried the preparations, it still took Vert at least two weeks to get fully prepared. This is because Leanbox has just recovered halfway after the war with the Legion.

"Well, so much for hurrying,huh Vert." Vio said to her friend. She is currently sitting on a chair in an outside balcony in Vert's room with her legs crossed. She is reading a comic book which tells the story of two handsome men that are both in love with each other. "Before we even get there, I can bet that new group, ASIC, has already influenced or terrorized almost half of the continent."

"I know but we did our best to muster enough forces in time." Vert told her friend while she plays that first person shooter in her computer that she forgot to continue the last time she played it. "At least we are able to secure enough units to stay here at Leanbox for security while others will come with us in our journey to the western continent."

"But Vert, based on the figures you showed to me earlier, wouldn't it be better if the expeditionary force is a bit larger than the ones that will stay as security? We may face a larger group in the west than what we expected."

"I understand your opinion Vio, but I cannot risk a lot of soldiers to leave and fight over foreign lands. My concern is still the security of our nation."

"But what if my assumption was correct,then?" said Vio. She has stopped reading and proceeded to fold the corner of the page in her book to act as a bookmark. "You remember what I told you during preparations?"

With this remark, Vert paused her game to look at Vio. "You said that those four masses of dark energy that came out of the Legion's leader could have spawned into one being. Yes, I remember."

"Or worst case scenario, each dark energy could have spawned into individual beings." Vio added.

"Now that is quite a dilemma." Sighed Vert. "We can send some of the remaining drones to confirm but we cannot also risk them getting destroyed. The technology we have for now is insufficient to mass produce them as quick as possible."

"Well, only one way to find out then." Concluded Vio.

"Indeed." Vert then looked at her digital calendar mounted on her room's wall. "Tomorrow is our departure time. For now, I shall talk to your sister Chika. I need to inaugurate her as this nation's Oracle."

"Why Chika anyway?"

"Come now, Vio. Chika is quite an intelligent and capable person. I am confident that she can look after our nation in my absence." Vert assured to her friend. "An Oracle's work will be no different from my father's Secretary of the State during his rule. I only changed the name to Oracle because its shorter and… I am sort of a deity now. Ehehe."

"Well, it's your decision."

* * *

And after shutting down her computer, Vert left her room along with Vio to go to the Leanbox military harbor to conduct some final inspections before tomorrow's departure. However, they have only managed to reach just the main lobby of the basilicom when they saw Chika along with the Information Staff talking to two people. And there seems to be a commotion going on with them.

"Like I said, you two can't just barge in here! If you two want to meet with Lady Vert you have to set an appointment with her!" bellowed Chika to the two guests. One is a big man while the other is a young woman.

"Yes, yes. We apologize. It's just that my partner here is too persistent on meeting the CPU right now." Said one of the guest while scratching his head. This person seems quite muscular, a middle-aged man with shaved head, wearing suspenders over his naked body along with a fur jacket. And although he had quite the physique, he seems mild-mannered and acts like a gentleman.

"Oh come on. This cannot wait any longer, Bahus." Said the woman to her companion, who seems to be named Bahus. "I have to find out now if what we found here is genuine or not." This woman has shoulder length black hair with a longer amount pulled into a low ponytail that reaches her hips and she has bright green eyes. She wears a white top tied below her breasts and an orange jacket with a brown collar and cuffs. One sleeve reaches her elbow while the other goes to her wrist. She also wears a pair of tight black pants with a diamond pattern belt and straps on the right leg to hold items, while on the left thigh, part of the material is cut and held by dark straps. She wears black shoes, a pair of brown and black gloves, and a black choker with a hoop dangling from it.

"Find out what, may I ask?" Vert butted in while smiling. The four people at the lobby didn't seem to notice that Vert and Vio arrived and were just watching them from the sidelines.

"L-lady Vert! Sis. You're both here." Said a surprised Chika.

"Oh! And here she is." Commented the woman. She then proceeded to approach Vert, much to Chika's disgust. "Good day to you. My name is Harley and that big guy is named Bahus." At the mention of his name, Bahus lightly bowed down to Vert, in which Vert gladly acknowledged. "He is my partner and assistant."

"I am pleased to meet you, Harley." Replied Vert. "You mentioned something about finding out if an item you possess is genuine or not. May I ask what significance will it do if you bring it here at my basilicom?"

"Well, as a CPU, you should be at least familiar with weapons such as this." After saying this, Harley procured a sword that is sheathed from her back and showed it to Vert. "A fine weapon, right? Hardly forty-five inches long from the tip to the chappe. Single-bladed. The hilt has a nice, firm grip. But the most important is…" she then eyed Vert. "…what resides within this sword."

"Wh – what am I looking at exactly?" said Vert in confusion, raising one eyebrow in the process.

"You are familiar with the War of the Two Goddesses, right?" asked Harley.

"Why of course. That's the reason I – " but then something came up in Vert's mind. "Don't tell me that's a – "

"You caught up, huh." said Harley with a tinge of sarcasm. "This sword that I am holding here could just be one of those weapons that the two goddeses procured to use against each other. And of course not all of them met their respective targets. So we weapon hunters, or as we like to call ourselves Fencers, are on the hunt to find those weapons that fell into the lands."

"You guys are Fencers, huh." Said Vio, breaking her silence.

"Is the group familiar to you, Vio?"

"Not quite. But I have heard that there are some rare weapon seekers that are roaming around here at Leanbox. I dunno if they are associated with these two."

"Well we are not actually a group, miss." Said Bahus. "Fencers refer to people that are searching for these rare weapons."

"I am a history researcher by profession." Harley relied to Vert and Vio. "But after better analyzing the events of the goddesses war and the possibility of weapons being scattered all over Gamindustri, I just couldn't resist to do more research. And as much as possible," she lifted the sword in her hand up. "I want to get a hold of them. If not all, as many as possible."

Th – that's… quite the goal you have, miss." Said Chika, still annoyed with the unexpected visitors.

"Well it turns out that not only I have that idea." Said Harley. "And before I even realized it, everyone I met on the way is calling me a Fencer now. And Bahus here," Harley pointed her thumb at Bahus. "shares the same interest as me so he decided to tag along."

"Well you looked like someone who can't live on her own. I've seen you do reckless things countless times, Harley."

"Oh, I see." Said Vio with a smile of interest.

"Don't get me wrong, miss." Bahus replied to Vio's remark. "She's just like a daughter to me. Well, she reminds me of my daughter, though. I… lost her during the war."

"So you two are from Leanbox, then." Said Vert.

"Yeah. I'm surprised that you didn't know." Replied Harley.

"Well I do manage a large island with over a million people residing on it. But let us get back to the topic in hand. Why do you need me in finding out if that weapon is authentic or not?"

"From what I've learned during the war, you're somewhat immortal, right? "Harley asked Vert.

"Somewhat, yes." Replied Vert. "Ordinary humans are able to injure me but beyond that they were unable to kill me."

"I – I never knew that." Said by a surprised Chika.

"Well, I have yet to prove that if my aging process stopped since its been only five years since I've become a CPU." Vert told them. "But I do feel like I'm not getting any older, though. Ehehe…"

"So that proves my research about a CPU." Said Harley. "A CPU can only be mildly harmed by humans but they can't kill a CPU. And judging from your statement, you do not age as well." By this time, Vert eyed Harley seriously. "On the issue of immortality, I guess the reason why General Gheytz…," the name Harley mentioned made Vert flinch a bit. "...Leanbox's greatest soldier, succumbed to Arfoire's Patron Unit is because he is but an ordinary human. So that makes those blessed by the either deities immune from human - inflicted fatalities."

"Wow, Harley. You did your research well." Said Bahus, impressed with what Harley just stated. "How come you never mentioned these to me."

But there's a catch." Harley continued on. "Eye witness accounts say that General Gheytz was able to badly injure the APU. And his weapon was a bow and arrow, correct?"

"Indeed." Replied Vert. "From what I can remember him telling me before, that his Wisdom Bow was forged using materials from what remains of a large broken sword."

Harley's eyes suddenly widened from what Vert has told her. "No way. So…" she then held on to Vert's shoulders, surprising the CPU and everyone in the lobby. "a fury can be reforged into a different weapon?!"

"I – what? What is a Fury?"

"It's what we Fencers call those weapons that we are looking for." Bahus answered.

"So… Mr. Gheytz's bow is forged from a… broken Fury?" Chika asked. It seems she was listening to the conversation after all.

"Well he did died a year after the two goddesses sealed each other." Replied Harley, letting go of Vert. "So it was enough time for him to stumble upon a broken fury and turn it into a weapon that he desires to use."

"So what are you implying, ms. Harley?" Vio interjected.

"A Fury can do more harm on a CPU even on the hands of a normal human." Concluded Harley. "But I guess it only weakens a CPU and still not cause death."

"Wow. My darling Vert is more awesome than I ever imagined…" whispered Chika to herself.

"And with that said," Harley turned to Vert once more. "Where's General Gheytz's bow?"

"I am sorry. But my father's weapon got lost during the war. I tried to recover it but to no avail. I believe it was stolen when he… died on the spot."

"What?! It's… lost?!" Harley said in disappointment.

"Now, now Harley. You still have one to test, remember?" Bahus told her.

"Oh yeah!"

"And how do you plan on testing it, Harley?" Vert asked.

"Well…," Harley raised the sword up and pointed it at Vert, which alarmed everyone in the lobby including Bahus. "… that's where my earlier request stands. This weapon somehow gives off quite a magical aura in it. Can you not feel it?"

"Hmm… somehow I do not. But you do mean to use this sword against me, am I correct?" Vert said to Harley while eyeing her seriously.

"Yes. I request a duel with the CPU of Leanbox."

"What?! I will not allow that, you hear me b**ch!" screamed Chika, summoning her spear weapon in the process.

"So do I." said Vio while procuring her two handguns.

"I already told her that there are other possible ways to test it. But she's convince herself that this is the only way. So there is no stopping her now. Sorry, everyone." Sighed Bahus.

"Vio, Chika, everyone please stand down. I believe that they came here with no harm intended." Vert addressed to them. "Crazy maybe but harmless."

"Now look what you did, Harley. Even I got called crazy."

"So it's a yes, then?" Harley asked Vert.

"Let us do this on an open area." Vert answered while wearing a smile of confidence. "Will the seaside do the trick?"

* * *

While they walked along towards the seaside, with Chika deciding to stay at the basilicom, the group can't help but notice that most of the men they have passed through are ogling at them, especially on Vert and Harley.

"Those two really do have quite the sex appeal,huh." Muttered Vio.

"Still that doesn't stop me for worrying about Harley's future. She seems more interested in her research of the unknown rather than her social life." Sighed Bahus.

"Huh. You really are just like a father figure to her."

A few minutes later, they have reached the seaside. And they wasted no time too.

"Are you ready, Ms. Harley?" Vert said after materializing her weapon, a halberd that is just a bit taller than her.

"One moment." Harley replied to Vert. "Yo, big guy. It's all up to you now." She then passed the weapon to Bahus, much to the guy's surprise.

"What?! You want me to fight instead of you?!"

"Hey now. I'm more of a ranged fighter than melee."

"Tch… fine. Hand it over."

And when Bahus received the weapon, he then proceeded to face Vert.

"I'm ready, Lady Vert."

"Then, give me what you've got, sir Bahus." Vert said with a smile.

And without warning, Bahus dashed towards Vert at surprisingly breakneck speed.

*CLANG!*

Although as fast as he can be, Vert was still able to parry Bahus' attack with her halberd.

"My, aren't you agile for a big guy."

"Well… I did fought as a soldier during the Liberation of Leanbox against the Tyrant King. I was on your father's side back then."

"Oh. Then I shall commend you later for the services that you've given to our nation in my father's name." replied Vert.

"I appreciate it. But your father already did ."

The two then continued to exchange weapon blows, but none of them still managed to directly hit each other. Vert just keeps parrying while Bahus does the offensive.

"Vert, do some counter attacks! Are you just gonna keep parrying Bahus' attacks?" shouted Harley.

"Show some respect, Harley. You are addressing the head of this nation and at the same time Celestia's Patron Unit."retorted Vio.

But then, something happened…

*CRASH!*

"What the…"

"Oh my goodness…"

"THE SWORD!"

"Is that supposed to happen?"

On Bahus' last attack, Vert just parried it as usual. But in an unexpected event, the sword shattered when it met Vert's halberd.

"Oh dear." Said Vert in surprise. "The sword… shattered."

"Hey Harley, is a Fury supposed to shatter this easily?" Bahus asked.

"I – I don't know."

"But wasn't the Fury that General Gheytz used to make his Wisdom Bow broken as well?" Vio asked Harley.

"But that's most likely broken by either of the Goddesses before it hit land." Replied Harley.

But then Vert notices something. She saw that a small fragment of the sword has found its way on the back of her hand, embedded on her skin.

"Uhm, Harley," Vert then approaches Harley and showed her the tiny wound. "can you consider this as a result?"

"Ooh… let me see, then."

Harley then proceeded to pull out the shard from Vert's back hand and analyzed it. But after just a few seconds, the small wound immediately healed itself.

"It… it healed so fast." Said Harley, slightly dissapointed.

"So, it was a fake Fury then, huh." Bahus mentioned to Harley.

"And to think that General Gheytz's Wisdom Bow managed to inflict weakening damages to the APU..." Vio wondered in her mind.

"If we were to follow what was said in the fight between Gheytz and the APU, the APU suffered bad injuries against the Wisdom Bow. They say it weakened the APU but it didn't stop her from killing Gheytz." Harley concluded. "So Vert, are you not feeling any signs of weakness?"

"No. I feel just as healthy as usual."

"I see…" Harley then turned around to face away from Vert and the others.

"…"

"Harley…" muttered Bahus with a worried tone.

"AND TO THINK I STRUGGLED IN STEALING IT FROM THAT RICH, OLD MAN'S HOUSE! AND IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING!" shouted Harley.

"You stole that sword?!" Vert and Vio said together in shock.

"Harley…" sighed Bahus in frustration. "Why didn't you tell me that you stole it!"

"Well I got tipped off by a random merchant that a rich, old man is in posssion of a magical sword and that its said to be a Fury. How should I know that it was not a Fury!"

"Now, calm down, you two." Vert interrupted their argument. "Harley, stealing is against the rules. But I will let it slide this time if you promised to pay back the person whom you stole it from."

"*sigh* I will, Vert. But I did it for my research, you know."

And as dusk approached, the two Fencers bid farewell to Vert after accomplishing what they needed to know. Vert and the others now learned about the existence of Fencers and the so-called Furies, the weapons used by the two Goddesses to seal each other in which some of them landed on Gamindustri. She also learned that the weapon her father used to combat the Legion was a reforge of a broken Fury.

And as the day of their departure towards the Western continent closes in, Vert can't help wonder what they will meet when they get there. Is Vio's opinion correct? That the masses of dark energy each spawned into individual beings and not into a single one like a resurrected APU?

"You seem deep in thought, Vert." Vio said to her friend as they walk back to the basilicom after doing their final inspections with the expeditionary forces.

"Oh, it's nothing." Vert replied. "Well, our forces are ready for tomorrow to venture to the western continent. How about you, Vio?"

"Hmph, you know I am always ready to back you up, Vert."

"Glad to hear. Ehehe…"

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3 - The Western Continent

Chapter 3 – The Western Continent

The day of departure for the Leanbox Expeditionary Forces has finally arrived. And after concocting several plans and strategies of their assault, Vert can finally say that her forces are ready to take the battle outside of Leanbox, prepared to fight the new threat that is ASIC.

But before they leave, however, as Vert promised she inaugurated Chika Hakozaki into her Oracle, her somewhat vice leader for Leanbox. She will be put in charge of looking after the nation while Vert is absent.

"I will promise to you, Lady Vert, that I, your Oracle, will humbly look after this great nation of ours without fail!" Chika told Vert in delight while holding her hands tightly and raised. "And if I ever do fail or if I ever show any forms of neglect on our beloved nation, I will accept any punishment or judgement that you will give to me."

"Ahahaha… I am confident with your capabilities, Chika dear." Vert said. "Just do your best in looking after Leanbox while me and your older sister venture to the western continent to deal with the enemies of this peaceful world of ours."

"I promise, Lady Vert." replied Chika with full enthusiasm. "I PROMISE WITH ALL MY HEART!~"

Chika then made a jump for Vert to hug her, only to be stopped in mid-air by her sister, Vio.

"Okay, that's enough from you, fangirl." Muttered Vio while still restraining a struggling Chika.

After the inauguration, Vert, Vio and Chika left for the harbor. It is from there that they will begin their voyage towards the western continent. The harbor was filled to the brim with Leanbox soldiers ready to board various carrier ships and planes. But the most noticeable ship was the humongous SS XBC13 Elite aircraft carrier, a ship created by the tyrant king but was never used until Ben Gheytz took over the nation. It was fortunate enough that it only received minor damages from the war between Leanbox and the Legion.

"Good thing they were able to fix this thing, huh." Said Vio.

"Indeed." Replied Vert. "We shall station the XBC13 for about 10 miles away from the coast of our landing point. It will act as our portable airport and main command center."

"Lady Vert." addresses a smiling woman who approached Vert. This girl has short blond hair and wears a yellow tube top and a yellow collar with a red gem in the center, along with a big loose white lab coat. She also has on a yellow skirt with white ruffles underneath and a gold and green belt, yellow above-the-knee boots and cream colored bows above the toe. "Our Mobile Infirmary vehicles have been boarded inside the XBC13 now. Do you have anything else for us to do, my lady?"

"No more for now, Nurse Compile. You did an excellent job." Said Vert. "You may board on the XBC13 now if you wish."

"And I will do so, my lady. Now, I will excuse myself." Said Compile with a bow towards Vert before leaving to board the ship.

And almost an hour later, Vert has received words from Chika that all forces are ready for departure.

"Very good work, Chika." Acknowledged Vert. "Well, I leave Leanbox on your command for now. We will be leaving now."

"I can never be as good as a commander-in-charge as you do, Lady Vert…." said a teary-eyed Chika. But somehow, Vio sees this reaction of her sister as… overacting, making her just sigh on her spot. "But I will…*sniff*…try my best."

"Well, take care of yourself and this nation, lil' sis." Vio said to Chika with a smile.

"And so, goodbye for now, Chika." And after Vert said this, she gave Chika a firm hug before heading towards the flagship. And as Vio followed suit, she looked back to Chika for a second and swore to herself that she saw her sister almost melt on the spot after getting a warm and firm hug from Vert.

However, before they could even board the ship…

"Wow. That is one huge ship you got there, Vert."

"Well… the guards did let us in so… good day to you, Lady Vert."

When Vert and Vio turned around to look, they saw Harley and Bahus, the two Fencers that they just met yesterday.

"My goodness, Harley and Bahus. What brings you two here?" Said Vert.

"Heh. You must have charmed the guard to let you two in, huh." Said Vio with a sarcastic tone.

"What? No. I just asked kindly and the guard allowed us in."

"We apologize for delaying you, Lady Vert. But Harley here has a request."

"And what would that be, my dear?" asked Vert to Harley.

"We would like to come with you." Said Harley with no hesitation. "Me and Bahus here would like to venture the western continent as well. Who knows, there could be a lot Furies there than I can imagine."

"If you ask me, you're the only one who wants to travel there. But it would be bad if I just let you go there by yourself." Whispered Bahus to himself.

"I'm afraid that I can't grant your request, Harley." Replied Vert. "For as you can see, we will be doing battle against enemy forces when we get there. It is too risky for civilians such as you two to come along with us."

"And besides," interjected Vio. "i bet you haven't even ventured the entirety of Leanbox to search for those Furies. Why not complete that first before heading elsewhere?"

"Come on." Said an optimistic Harley. "Leanbox is my home, anyway. I can just complete my search here once I've come back. And besides, if my further analysis of the goddesses war is accurate…" she then procured a notebook from one of her unseen pockets. "…most of the Furies might have landed on those three clumped landmasses."

"I understand what you desire to do, Harley, but I just really can't risk any Leanbox citizen on this. I can only just ask you to wait until the enemies there are eliminated or expelled before you venture there."

"But this cannot wait any longer." Said a dissapointed Harley.

"Then can you consider us as volunteer recruits, Lady Vert?" asked Bahus.

"Bahus…"

"Hmm… I really do not want to involve non-military personnel on this fight." Replied Vert.

"We can be of extra hand to you guys." Insisted Harley. "Bahus here is even a former soldier under Gheytz takeover of this land. And I'm pretty much a good shooter using my trusty handguns. And I always remain as vigilant as possible."

"I dunno, Vert." doubted Vio. "We will be held responsible for this if something happens with them while we're there at the western continent."

"But just like Bahus said, we can be volunteer soldiers. With that, you cannot be held responsible with us because we chose to fight alongside you, right?"

"Hmm…" Vert gave it some deep thought. "Very well then."

"Vert?!" Vio then looked at Chika, hoping to help her convince Vert against the idea. However, Chika was still facing away from them, still obviously entranced from Vert's hug.

"You can come along with us under the condition that you two, being volunteers, will fight alongside us against the enemies while you search for those Furies. And that whatever I say, you two follow. Do I make my conditions clear to both of you?" said Vert.

"Yeah. Loud and clear, my liege. Hehehe…" Said Harley excitedly.

"Yes, Lady Vert." responded Bahus. "I will make sure that Harley here will be kept on check while in dangerous lands."

"Oh come on, Bahus. I'm not that reckless, am I?"

And so without anymore ado, the Leanbox Forces set off towards the western continent, with Chika not knowing that there were two extra passengers who boarded the XBC13 Elite.

Inside the flagship, the two Fencers were lead to their cabins by Vio while Vert proceeded to go to her own customized room. It will take them more than hour to get near the coast of their landing point. And while the XBC13 cruise along the vast sea, Vert can't help but take a nap first.

"*sigh*….I'd really like to play a game right now to ease my mind a bit, but I guess a rest would do me better than that." Vert told herself. And with that, she laid down on her bed, and almost instantly she dozed off.

And as she dozed off, she could here something.

" _My child…._ "

"Mmm… please let me rest for a bit…wake me up when we're there…" said Vert groggily.

" _I need to talk to you, my child…._ "

Vert then realized that the person talking to her was a woman's voice.

"Mhm…what…" murmured Vert. And when she opened her eyes, Vert saw that she wasn't in her room anymore. But instead, she's in a very dark place voided with any light. And she realized that she was standing up now. And what confused her more was that she was glowing, like she's emitting her own light source for her to see herself within the darkness.

" _I am glad that you've heard my voice, my dear patron…_ "

But even before Vert could ask who was there, a strange bright, white, spirit-like silhouette of a woman transfigured just a few feet away from her.

"You… called me your patron. That means you're…" and when Vert realize who she was talking to, she immediately kneeled in front of the apparition. "… Goddess Celestia!"

" _Indeed, my child._ " Replied the apparition. " _I have visited you in your dreams to give you a message._ "

"But how are you speaking to me now, my lady?" questioned Vert. "Are you not sealed away?"

" _I am indeed sealed away, I'm afraid. But I talk to you now due to the fact that I've transferred some of my thoughts into your memory core before it befalls into your rightful hands._ _So my time to relay you my message is only short, so listen well my child._ "

"Very well. I shall hear your message, my lady."

" _My child, as I speak to you today, a part of me still continues to fall into the lands. A memory core shall appear once more._ " Said Celestia's apparition.

"What? Then that means a new CPU shall be born." Replied Vert. "But what shall I do if it appears?"

" _Due to my concealment, I have no control whatsoever with the events that will transpire if the memory core falls into human hands. It is up to you, my patron, to make sure that those who receive a part of me does not sway away from my intentions of an evil-free world._ "

"And how shall I know if it appears?" Vert inquired further.

" _You shall feel its presence, my child, depending on who shall receive it. If a person is younger_ -" Suddenly, the apparition's voice gets somehow distorted, making Vert hard to understand.

"M-my lady? I cannot understand what you are saying?"

"… _.power…..shall…released only…age…._ " And as the voice continue to get distorted further, Vert notices that the apparition is fading away.

"Wait…" said Vert.

"… _..good luck…._ "

"WAIT! My lady!" yelled Vert.

*BOOM!*

"*Gasp!*"

An explosion woke Vert up. And when she opened her eyes, she saw that she's back in her room now lying in the bed like earlier. However, it seemed that the ship is somewhat swaying a bit.

"Oh good, you're awake now." Said a woman on Vert's room door. When Vert looked up, she saw that it was Vio. "The XBC13 is getting close to your chosen location of 10 miles away from our landing point."

"Alright. But what was that explosion?"

"Explosion? More like its thunder, Vert. It seems we've come across a thunderstorm."

And when Vert looked up on her window, it is indeed a raging storm complete with loud thunder claps.

"Woohoo. Who knew the western continent will be having quite a storm now, huh. It would be difficult to find any Furies on this situation. Heck, like that can stop me, anyway." Said Harley who appeared behind Vio. "So, anyone of you have any motion sickness medicine? The big guy doesn't seem to appreciate all this swaying motion. Hehe…"

"You can ask Compile about that. Her infirmary is just below this deck." Replied Vio.

"Thanks for the info." And by then Harley left for the infirmary.

Then, the ship's intercom gave out a message to all those aboard the XBC13.

" _Attention. The XBC13 Elite has now reached the designated point of 10 miles across the shore of the southern part of the western continent. Awaiting further commands. I repeat…."_

"So Vert, we're here." Said Vio.

"And we proceed as planned." Replied Vert.

And with that, they proceeded to the ship's control tower. There, they will find out the situation in the western continent.

"So, any signs of enemy movement within our landing point?" addressed Vert to the whole staff of the ship.

"Lady Vert, enemy forces are stationed at the beachside where our landing point is designated." Replied one of the staff.

"So they were expecting us, huh." Muttered Vio.

"I was expecting them to be, anyway." Said Vert. "And with that, I shall proceed with my plan."

"Are you sure about that?" said Vio in a worried tone. "What if the leader… or four leaders, are waiting for you there as well?"

"Well I do have you guys as my backup. And besides, I'm just gonna create an opening for us to deploy our forces there. I would hate it if we just bombard them aimlessly. Civilians might get caught in the crossfire."

"Hmm…. Well alright then." Sighed Vio. "We'll follow you then when you give the signal."

"I will." Vert assured her friend.

After clarifying her plan to the entire crew, Vert went down to the ship's flight deck. She was getting soaked from the rain but she didn't seem to care.

"Here I go. ACCESS!" And at the chant of this word, Vert transformed herself. After the transformation, everyone who saw it awed Vert's CPU form, in which she is called Green Heart.

As Green Heart, Vert's light blond curled hair is now longer and straight worn in a ponytail, now colored sea-foam green. Her eyes remain their shape and is now light purple in color. She wears something that resembles a black piece bathing suit with her arms fully covered, as are her legs. Her entire front is exposed, except for her lower region, and the exact center of her breast. Around each wrist is a glowing green ring segment, while at her neck, hips, feet, and on top of the glove is a glowing green circle.

"I'm off." Green Heart told Vio and her crew via the earpiece communicator attached to her right ear.

"Okay, be careful out there. We'll be ready when you give your signal." Replied Vio.

And with that, Green Heart ascended into the air and without warning, flies away towards the continent in high speed.

In just a few minutes, Green Heart can finally see the shoreline where her forces will be landing in. And as reports say, it is filled with enemy soldiers ready to repel them, all armed with automatic rifles and assault robots.

"Robots, eh. Hmph. We'll see about that." Green Heart said to herself.

And as she got closer, the enemy started shooting at her.

"Hmhmhm. You're efforts are futile." Muttered Green Heart. With that said, she accelerated even more towards the enemy forces.

"FIRE AT WILL ON THE CPU, MEN!" ordered the enemy grunt leader.

But before they could even attack her, Green Heart landed in the middle of the enemy troops with quite an impact that it sent some enemies near the perimeter flying away. However, those unaffected fired their rifles at Green Heart, only to be all deflected away by her by twirling her spear in rapid speed.

"Useless attacks. And now, my turn." Green heart readied herself, then… " _SIKKIM BIND!_ "

At the chant of this skill, Green heart produced a whirlwind that threw away all enemies that got in its path. But it wasn't enough to deal any damage to the enemy robots.

"Hehe… I'm not done yet, though." Green Heart then procured a green-colored magic circle beside her, its center aimed at the row of robots who are firing their arsenal at her to no avail due to a certain magical field Green Heart just surrounded to herself. "And now… _SYLHET SPEAR ONE!_ "

A giant spear fired out of Green Heart's magic circle and made its way towards the remaining enemies. The bigger machines got impaled while the others around got ran over by the spear before it disappeared. However, as strong as her attacks may be, some enemies still remain standing. But they don't intimidate Vert.

"Hehe… come at me. All of you." Green Heart said with full confidence.

Meanwhile, back at the XBC13 ship…

"Hmm… it's been half an hour now since Vert left." Vio wondered to herself. She was joined by Harley in the ship's control tower.

"She's a CPU. What else could go wrong with her." Replied Harley with confidence. "As for me, I can't wait to step foot on that continent and explore it for some Furies. Hehe…"

And then…

"Vio. This is Vert. The landing zone is all clear from enemy defenses. You may now send in the troops."

"Understood." Replied Vio. "Alright, action stations everyone! We're heading over there!"

As Vio finished her statement, she proceeded to go out of the control tower, until Harley cut her in.

"I heard that you have quite a chopper on board here. Can we join you there on your ride?"

Vio just stared at Harley for a moment before giving out a sigh and reply. "Fine. Whatever…"

Back at the shoreline, Vert patiently wait in the rain for her troops to arrive. She chose not to revert back to her normal form in case she gets attacked there. Although, she can't help get insecured due to the fact that the western continent locals were staring at her presence there. She only assumed that her presence as a CPU entrances them.

But then, she felt something that made her look behind her quickly in alarm.

"That presence…" Green Heart closed her eyes so that she can concentrate more on feeling the unknown presence.

And the she finally realized it. The presence gives off the same aura as hers or that of Celestia's.

"It must be what Celestia has told me."

So she flies away towards the place. However, she hasn't even gotten near the place yet that the presence suddenly disappeared. And this confused Vert as she stopped in mid air, trying to feel the presence once more. But alas, it really disappeared without a trace. Still, Vert searched for the area for any signs that a memory core has appeared.

But as she search for it, a lot of questions come to Green Heart's mind on why the presence of the memory core suddenly disappeared.

 _Did it befall on enemy hands?_

 _Or is the new CPU already got intercepted by the enemy and got killed?_

 _But is the enemy even capable of killing a CPU?_ That is what Green Heart is unsure of yet.

And as she fly by over a tree-less open field, she heard a muffled cry of a child down below.

And when Green Heart looked down, the scene horrified her.

What she saw lying face down on the dirt road was a young woman wearing ragged clothing, and beside her was a little girl with a short, light purple hair who's also wearing ragged clothing. The little girl was crying out loud while tugging on the back of the woman like she's waking her up. But what terrified Vert was the presence of another person just a few feet away from the other two.

A woman wearing a revealing attire that exposes most her light lilac skin color. A woman with pink colored hair, worn in pigtails with long bangs and spiked wings on her back. A woman who wields a scythe. And she's ready to strike… on the oblivious toddler.

But Green Heart cannot allow it to happen. So before the unknown entity could even strike, Vert called her attention.

"Leave that innocent child alone!" Green Heart then landed in between the two person behind her and the ominous woman in front of her. She can now clearly hear the cries of the toddler. "Are you a member of ASIC?"

But the ominous woman only replied a smirk to Green Heart.

"Tch… Just who are you?! And did you assaulted these innocent people?! Answer me!"

"So…you're the CPU who slaughtered our dearest leader. It is quite the pleasure to finally meet you in person." Said the ominous woman calmly.

And when Green Heart met her eyes, she was taken aback from what she felt from the stare.

It reminded Vert of the eyes of the person she just fought against. The eyes of the person she just killed to stop the spreading madness in Leanbox.

"Y-you're…"

"Ehehe… what is wrong? Do I remind you of someone?" teased by the ominous woman.

"Ghh….!" With gritted teeth, Green Heart materialized her green magic circle and aimed it at the ominous woman.

"Hehehe. I would love to do battle against you. However," the ominous woman backed away slowly and started ascending. "I have other pressing matters to deal with before you. And besides, " she then glanced at the two people behind Vert. "I might be wrong. But, we'll meet again soon, Celestia's Patron. Ehehe." And then she flew away.

Green Heart wanted to follow the unknown woman, however…

"Mama….!"

The sudden outcry of the little girl got Vert's attention. And the instant that Vert looked, it completely broke her heart.

The woman lying down was all bloodied due to a slash injury on her body. And it seemed to be a fatal one. And as for the crying girl, who seemed no older than two years old, she looks like free from any injury. But what saddens Vert is that the purple-haired toddler seemed oblivious of the fact that her mother is no more, and yet she keeps on shaking the back of the young woman, while holding a piece of half-eaten bread on one hand, hoping that her mother wakes up.

Unable to contain her emotions, Vert proceeded to go near the little girl and picked her up. However, this only made the girl cry even more.

"Wwaaaaahhhhhhhh! Mamaa…mama!" cried the little girl.

"I'm sorry, little one." Muttered Green Heart to the little girl, unable to contain her tears from dropping. "If only I've gotten here sooner."

Green Heart then hugged the crying girl tightly and kissed the back of her little head. "But don't worry, little one. I won't hurt you…. You're safe now. I'll take care of you…."

"Wwaaaaaahhhh!"

With one loud cry, the toddler suddenly became limp in Green Heart's arms, dropping the piece of bread that the little girl was holding tight.

"Little one..?!" said Green Heart in a panic.

But then Green Heart felt that the little girl was still breathing.

"Oh goodness… she just passed out." She said as a sigh of relief. "But you're running a fever. Must be from the exposure in this infernal rain."

Green Heart then decided to take the little girl with her to give her treatment. But before she flies away...

"I'm sorry, miss. I cannot take you along with your daughter. But rest assured that she'll be safe under my care." Green Heart said to the fallen woman.

When Green Heart returned to the shoreline, she saw that her troops has established a base there.

"Vert, we did it. We-" greeted Vio. But she cuts off her words when she saw the little girl in Green Heart's arms. "Who's the girl?"

"Please Vio, take her to Compile's mobile infirmary quickly. She needs immediate medical attention." Ordered Green Heart while she gives the unconscious little girl to her friend. "I'll tell you the details later."

"Uh…okay." Replied Vio before rushing towards the mobile infirmary set up by the shores while carrying the little girl.

Vert then proceeded to revert back to her normal form. And as she did that, she can't help but wonder about what has transpired.

Was the ominous woman she met earlier the same one that their drone has seen?

And did she just killed the little girls mother on a whim? What does the ominous woman mean when she said that she may have been wrong about something?

And her presence alone. Why does Vert remind her of the APU?

And as these thoughts linger inside her, she can't also help but feel sorry for the purple-haired toddler.

And as the rain poured on, one thing was certain for Vert and the rest of Leanbox.

It is that Leanbox… will have another tough battle to face once again in the form of the ASIC.

To be continued….


	4. Chapter 4 - Harley's Loss

Chapter 4 – Harley's Loss

Leanbox forces has finally landed on the western continent. However, it didn't come without any surprises. Vert expected the appearance of either a memory core or a new CPU, thanks to Celestia's premonition. But what she didn't expected was the sudden disappearance of the memory core presence. And this boggled Vert's mind as she asks herself these questions:

Was she too late in getting to the memory core's location and the enemy got to it first?

Did the enemy somehow managed to eliminate the new cpu? But are they even capable of doing so since the fact that CPUs can only be killed by a fellow deity?

Or did the enemy somehow got hold of the memory core? " _But no, the presence wouldn't disappear like that even if they do have it, right?_ " Vert thought.

"Yaaaaaawn~…"

An unexpected yawn from a purple-haired little girl she was cradling in her arms made Vert get distracted from those thoughts.

"Oh. You're awake. Good morning, my dear~." Vert greeted to the little girl.

It has been a day now since Vert rescued the little girl from the unknown woman. And after nurse Compile gave the little girl proper medical treatment, Vert opted to take the little girl to her room back at the XBC13 Elite and told Compile that she'll take good care of the little one personally. Although it has been difficult for Vert to calm the little girl last night, she did all her best in doing so. In the end, she managed to calm her with a long warm, and gentle hug. Vert made sure that through the hug, she could channel her feelings towards the little girl, to make her feel that Vert is there to take good care of her. And through the hug, Vert made sure to the little girl that she will still feel the love that every children should not be deprived of.

"Are you hungry~? Do you wanna eat something yummy~?" Vert said to the little girl. But the child only looked and blinked at her in response. "Ehehe… still not cozy with me, huh."

"You really are gonna keep her, aren't you?"

When Vert looked up to see who spoke, she saw Vio leaning on her open room door.

"Ehehe. Well, who knows." Replied Vert. "I don't mind looking after her, though." She said while pressing her cheek on the little girl's cheek. "So, have you gathered the information regarding this poor little one?"

"Yeah, it wasn't hard to get it." Answered Vio. "After asking around, I learned that the girl belongs to a small family of merchants, the Yuzusuki family, who lives on the outskirts of this town. And that the little girl's name is Yuu. According to eyewitnesses, ASIC soldiers attacked their house and slaughtered every family members."

"And have they mentioned anything about as to why her family got massacred by ASIC soldiers?" Vert pressed on.

"Those who I've asked speculate that their family stumbled upon a sort of item or weapon, and that ASIC wants to get their hands on it."

"And I take it that they killed the Yuzusukis when they refused to hand it over, yes?" asked Vert.

"That is a possibility." Replied Vio.

"And the mother and this child were able to sneak away while the rest of the family gets killed, I guess." Said Vert, feeling even more sorry to the purple-haired child. "But alas, they got intercepted by one of the enemies. It is quite fortunate for little Yuu here that I was around. I am sorry though that I wasn't able to be more early and save your mother, little one."

And as Vert said this, the little girl named Yuu just looked at her and Vio simultaneously, like she's familiarizing the two women.

"But were you able to find out what kind of item or weapon was it, Vio?" asked Vert.

"I'm afraid I didn't. Even those whom I've asked didn't know. They only speculated so because what else could be the reason why the enemy would just pillage one household." Answered Vio.

"Could it be a Fury?!" yelled another person just behind Vio.

"Oh, why hello there Harley. Good morning to you." Greeted Vert.

"Your ears are pretty sharp when it comes to Furies, huh Harley." Interjected Vio.

"Hahahaha. No, not really." Said Harley. "I just heard you two talking about a weapon and I speculate that it's a Fury."

"What brings you to here anyway, Harley?" Vert asked. "Do you have something to report?"

"Actually, I came here to tell you guys that breakfast is ready. Courtesy of my companion, of course." Harley replied. "The rest are eating at the ship's mess hall, so you guys just chill over here. Bahus will bring some food up here."

"Looking forward to Bahus' cooking." Said Vert amusingly.

"So the big guy can cook, huh." Said Vio.

And minutes later, Bahus arrived at Vert's room carrying two breakfast trays filled with freshly baked loaves of bread, fried eggs and bacon, and two servings of sweet pudding. Although the aroma of food was quite an attention – grabber, what caught Vert and Vio's attention more was the fact that Bahus was wearing a quite womanly apron. But the two of them thought it best to ignore and focused on what Bahus is carrying.

"As for the beverages, for Lady Vert, some freshly brewed tea…" he handed Vert a teacup filled with tea. "… and for General Vio, coffee with cream and sugar." He handed Vio a small mug of hot coffee.

"Very much appreaciated, sir Bahus." Said Vert in delight.

"Mmm… nicely made coffee too." Complimented Vio.

And so they sat down on chairs around Vert's small room table and started eating while discussing Vert's encounter with a powerful enemy.

"Could it be the same woman that Drone gamma captured on video?" asked Vio before taking a bite from a sliced bacon.

"The possibilities are big, Vio." Replied Vert. She then proceeded to break a piece of bread loaf into two and gave one half of it to little Yuu, in which the little girl accepted quietly before she started nibbling on it, much to Vert's delight. "Not only that, I can sense the same aura on her as to that of the Legion's leader, although weaker in a sense."

"So, i guess my speculation about having four powerful enemies is accurate then."

"That is what I am afraid of, Vio." Said Vert with worry.

"Four enemies that originated from a dark deity? That does spell trouble." Said Harley before taking one of Vert's loaf of bread and taking a bite off it.

"Hey Harley, that's their food. You've already eaten your fill." Said Bahus in dismay.

"Oh, no worries, sir Bahus. The food you brought are plentiful enough for everyone to feast on." Vert told Bahus in assurance.

"Well I'm surprised that you're still not out there and hunting down some of those Fury weapons." Vio told Harley. "Is the idea of having strong enemies out there holding you back?"

"Mm… I'll get to that." Harley assured Vio. "Me and Bahus will do that and at the same time do some recon for the Leanbox forces. How's that sound?"

"Just be careful while you roam around the place." Vert told the two Fencers.

"Will do." And after Harley said this, she stood up from her chair and waved at the two dining people. "I'm gonna go prepare my stuff before we head out. See you guys later."

"If you'll excuse us, lady Vert." said Bahus politely.

"You may do so, sir Bahus." Replied Vert. "I'll just call for a ship steward to fetch our dishes here."

After Bahus left, Vert is about to continue eating when she noticed that little Yuu has finished her piece of bread and she was staring intently at the yellow pudding.

"Must be her first time seeing a serving of pudding, huh." Said Vio while looking at little Yuu.

"Ehehe. Want some pudding, my dear?" Vert asked the little girl playfully, which made the girl look at Vert for a while before returning her gaze back at the dessert.

Taking that as a yes for an answer, Vert grabbed a dessert spoon and scooped a small amount of pudding with it. "Say aahh~." Said Vert as she placed the spoon with a small serving of pudding in front of the little girl's mouth.

Hesitating a bit, little Yuu slowly opened her mouth, and by then Vert gently fed the little girl the pudding in the spoon.

"So, how was it?" Vert asked little Yuu while the child chewed on the mushy dessert in her mouth. And to her surprise…

"Yum~…" little Yuu suddenly blurted out the words while smiling at Vert, much to the latter's extreme delight.

"Oh, she spoke." Said Vio in surprise.

"Ehehe~. How wonderful~!" blurted out Vert in happiness. "Want some more, dear?"

"Mm…~" nodded little Yuu.

* * *

After breakfast, as much as Vert doesn't want to separate herself from the little girl after the latter started to get cozy with her, she had no choice but to leave little Yuu for now under nurse Compile's care until she gets back from meeting with the leader of the one and only established town of the west continent.

As for Harley and Bahus, they were dropped off on the easternmost part of the western continent to do their recon and Fury hunting there. The place is quite marshy and filled with a lot of trees around.

"So… this is the Virtua Forest." Said Harley as she looked around the woods.

"Why pick this place, anyway?" asked Bahus.

"Picture it closely, Bahus." Said Harley as they walk along a dirt path in the woods. "During the goddesses war, Celestia was placed somewhere in the southern continent while the dark goddess, Arfoire, was placed somewhere in the northern continent. And as they clashed their weapons at each other, some of them might have met in–between and landed here. And yes, my dear Bahus…" she injected on Bahus after seeing him get confused on her hypothesis. "…this forest sits exactly at the middle of the clash. So expect a considerable amount of Furies just sitting around here, albeit in pieces though."

"What if ASIC has the same idea as you have?" Bahus asked some more. "What if they know that this place is filled with those Furies and they also seek them here? We wouldn't want to have an encounter with them now, right?"

"That is why we do some recon as well." Said Harley in assurance. "If we cross paths with enemies, we either hide and wait if they didn't see us, or if they did see us, we fight back until we have an opening for an escape. Pretty straightforward plan."

"That doesn't put me at ease by the least." Sighed Bahus.

"But if they ever get their hands on a Fury and I saw it… I'll fight them until I can grab that Fury from their hands!" Harley blurted out.

"Okay, now don't you dare do that. Please."

An hour has passed as they tread along the woods, only encountering small critters along the way. However, as they go deeper within Virtua Forest…

 _*rustling sound*_

"Whoa… Harley, duck under here…" whispered Bahus as he grabbed Harley by her collar and dragged her down on a forest bush, much to Harley's surprise.

"Ow… can you pull me down much more gently next time…?" silently whimpered Harley as she massages the back of her neck. "You do realize that your all muscles and I'm just a skimpy young woman…"

"Sorry, but I had to do it…" replied Bahus. "Look ahead."

And as Harley looked as Bahus suggested, he saw about three round-looking robots roaming around a few feet away from them. The two small ones looked like balls of metal with a single eye-like sensor in the middle and an antenna with two appendeges on top. While the other one is bigger than the rest, having a more robust body around the single eye-like sensor with wing-like structures at its back.

"Enemy patrol, maybe?" asked Harley.

"Who knows. But, huh, it seems my idea about the enemy searching for what we are searching as well is more possible." Replied Bahus.

"So, what's the plan, big guy?"

"The plan? We let them go past us, that's what. It is best if we prevent an encounter-"

But Bahus stopped on his words because he has sensed something…

"Ghh.…"

…something dangerous from just behind them.

"GGRRRAAAAAAHHH!"

"HARLEY, LOOK OUT!" yelled Bahus as he pushed aside Harley to prevent her from getting hit by something.

 _*BLAM!*_

"Whoa..!" screamed Harley. There were dust and dirt everywhere from the impact. And when she looked up, what she saw made her terrified.

What she saw was a huge machine-like being. A big, black bulky armored like being with neon blue lining around all of his parts, as well as silver accessories and two big skulls. And this ominous being wields a giant axe.

"B-Bahus….? BAHUS!" yelled Harley, wanting to know if her companion survived the attack.

"HAH! EVEN FOR A HUMAN, YOU WERE ABLE TO PARRY MY ATTACK, EH?!" said the gigantic machine.

When the dust cleared up, Harley saw Bahus just underneath the edge of the giant machine's axe, with only a sword procured by Bahus preventing the axe from cutting him in half.

"Heh! No sword or any weapon were successful in parrying my attacks! All of them shatter before my mighty axe!" grunted the giant machine. "But you… you survived my attack! YOU MUST BE IN POSSESSION OF A CELESTIAL FURY, ARE YOU?!"

"What?!" yelled Harley in confusion. As she looked up on Bahus' weapon, it does emit some sort of misty aura around it. "D-don't tell me…"

"Sorry if I hid it from you, Harley." Said Bahus while still holding on to the parried attack. "I figured you weren't ready yet to be in possession of this thing so i kept it a secret from you…"

"B-bahus…." Was all Harley could say in surprise. Her companion was in possession of a Fury all this time.

"I'll tell you the details later, Harley. For now, run. Run as far away as possible!" Bahus yelled at Harley.

"A-are you stupid?! I won't leave you here to fight this hunk of metal all by yourself!" argued Harley as she unholstered her two handguns. But as she was about to fire at the gigantic machine…

 _*Bzzzt!*_

"Gaahh!" screamed Harley in pain as one of the robots behind her fired a laser beam at her, grazing her right arm.

"Tch.." Having no other choice, Harley ran for cover on a nearby tree while dodging the laser beams of the three robots. "Bahus, you just wait there! I'll deal with the small ones!"

"Grrraaaahhhh!" grunted Bahus as he used all his strength to push aside the giant machine's axe away.

"Hahahaha! Go on, fight me! FIGHT ME, HUMAN!" yelled the machine as it started swinging its weapon on Bahus in a frenzied state, with Bahus parrying all the blows as possible.

"EVEN WITH A FURY, YOU WILL STILL FIND IT IMPOSSIBLE TO BEAT ME, HUMAN!" yelled the machine further as it keeps on attacking Bahus. "FOR I AM JUDGE THE HARD! THE ULTIMATE VANGUARD OF ASIC! THE EMBODIMENT OF THE LEGION'S WRATH! SO GIVE UP, SURRENDER THAT FURY TO ME… AND DIE!"

"We'll see about that! Hyyaaahhh!" said Bahus as he slammed his sword on the ground, materializing a magic circle underneath the sword.

" _GROUND THRUST!_ " yelled Bahus.

Suddenly, the earth around Judge emitted a faint light…before mounds of earth started forming into spikes and thrusted themselves towards Judge, blocking him from view.

"Bahus, you did it!" screamed Harley in delight, as she had managed to take down the two smaller robots and is now dealing with the bigger one with difficulty.

"NOT OVER YET!"

Suddenly, the mounds of earth shattered to reveal an unscathed Judge.

"WEAK, WEAK, WEEEAAAKK!"

"Hey, dumbass!" yelled Harley as she fired her guns towards Judge. But all her bullets did was bounce off him.

"Save your ammo, Harley!" Bahus suggested. "Just keep your eyes on the other enemy while I deal with this Judge fellow!"

"Tch…" But as Harley looked back, she noticed that the other robot disappeared. "What the…?"

"Fall to the ground!" yelled Bahus as he summons another magic circle. " _RUPTURE!_ "

At the mention of the spell, the ground underneath Judge suddenly cracked open and he fell down to it.

"Now's our chance. Harley, let's get out of-"

* _BZZZZT!_ *

From out of nowhere, a laser beam pierced through Bahus' abdomen, making him spit off blood from his mouth and fall on the ground like a ragdoll.

"BAHUS! No!" yelled Harley as she darted towards the injured Bahus.

"N-no Harley…*cough, cough*. Don't go near here… r-run."

"There's no way that I'll leave you in that condition!" said Harley.

"HAHAHAHAHA! HOW FUTILE!"

When Harley looked up, she saw Judge has climbed up from the ruptured earth, with the other robot reappearing beside him.

"THE DEATH OF BOTH OF YOU IS INEVITABLE! SO YOU TWO JUST STAND STILL… AND GREET DEATH WITH A STRAIGHT FACE!"

Harley closed her eyes, bracing for the impact of Judge's weapon.

* _BOOM!_ *

"AARRRGGHHH! MY EYES!" yelled Judge.

Even without opening her eyes, Harley can tell that something bright must have blinded Judge.

" _A… a flash grenade?_ " she thought.

"Sorry. But I don't think its time for you to leave. Not now at least…." Said a mysterious person just near Harley.

"What…wh-who-" but before Harley could open her eyes and complete her question, she felt that she got hoisted up by one arm.

"Carry them far away from here…..Ryushin. Maybe take them by the beachfront."

"As you command." Spoke a robot-like person.

When Harley vision got a bit clearer, she saw a silhouette of a man standing in front of her. And when she looked to her left, she saw an unconscious Bahus also being hoisted up on the other side of the robot that is carrying them.

"Wait, who-"

But before she could complete her words again, the robot carrying them suddenly jumped up high, taking them far away from Judge's grasps.

* * *

A few minutes passed, the robot dropped them on the designated spot. But Harley wasted no time to figure out what was going on. She was more concerned about her companion.

"Bahus….BAHUS!" Harley yelled as she shook Bahus' body. But no response from him.

"No…no way…" she muttered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"You can still save him, if you like."

When Harley looked back to see who spoke, she finally saw the man who took them away from the clutches of Judge the Hard.

The man has short, blond hair with two, long streaks growing to his shoulders. He has calm, grey eyes and a kind face. He wears a white, long jacket with black wristbands and a black collar. Under the jacket he wears a dress that is somewhat similar to a tailcoat. His trousers are colored white and he wears high boots with some silver ornaments.

"Huh? What do you mean…that I can still save him?" asked Harley.

"He can continue to live on…as a Fury that is." Said the man calmly.

"What?!"

"The Fury he possesses is one of the unique ones. So, let the Fury he is holding absorb his soul and essence. Let him become one with the weapon."

As the man said this, Harley picked up Bahus' Fury and examined it.

"Wh-what should I do now…?" she asked the man.

"Watch closely." Replied the mysterious man.

Suddenly, Bahus' Fury glowed a bright orange color in Harley's hands. And slowly but surely, it was absorbing Bahus' body. Like a mist getting sucked in a vacuum.

And when it completely absorbed Bahus, the Fury stopped glowing and stayed still on Harley's hands.

"And now, he is one with the Fury." Concluded the mysterious man. "Sooner, your companion will be with you."

"Hold it." Harley told the mysterious man. "Who are you? Why did you saved m-… us?"

"I saved you… because you are quite important with my mission." Replied the mysterious man. "More like, all of you Leanbox soldiers are important in fulfilling my mission."

"What mission?" asked Harley further.

"A world where no evil resides." The man answered.

"I.. I see." Was all Harley could say.

"Now. I must take my leave, miss." Said the mysterious man. "I look forward in fighting alongside you and the CPU of Leanbox." He then turned away to approach his robot companion.

"C-can I know your name?"

"My name?" repeated the man.

"Yeah…"

"It is Sherman. My name… is Sherman, Ms. Harley." And after saying this, his robot companion took him away.

As for Harley, she just stood there, staring at the place where the man named Sherman stood just moments ago. And after a while, she looked at the Fury in her hands and grasped its handle hard. And as she looked back towards the vast sea, she can make out the silhouette of the XBC13 Elite from afar.

She looked again at the Fury in her hands. But instead of feeling victorious, she felt empty. Empty because it was just beside her all this time.

She felt empty because it was kept secret from her by her companion.

But worst of all, she felt empty because… her companion got killed. And she finds it hard to believe what Sherman has told her will work.

" _Will Bahus really live on within the Fury?"_ she asked to herself as she looked thoroughly at the Fury in her hands.

And there is also one question that also bothers Harley's mind right now…

" _How will I tell Vert and the others about this…?_ "

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5 - Felons and Furies

Chapter 5 – Felons and Furies

While Harley and Bahus were out to do recon on the eastern part of the continent, Vert, Vio and a few Leanbox soldiers went to the town hall located at the center of the town to meet up discuss things with this young ruler of the unnamed town. But instead of a common town hall, the place looked more a chapel, or in Vert's perspective… a Basilicom. But before they could climb its stairs to the entrance, they were greeted by a young woman by the entrance.

"I am glad that you are able to accommodate my invitation, Miss Vert of Leanbox." Said a white haired young woman that Vert intended to meet in person. She is a fair skinned girl with dull blue eyes and very long and loose white hair with a purple ribbon nearing the bottom. She wears a tan-colored dress that is a bit revealing, if not for the brown top worn underneath of it with a gold and purple pendant in the middle, below her breasts. Below her shoulder she has brown arm sleeves and around her waist is a white and silver piece, holding a stiff, brown skirt that reveals her dress in the middle.

"I take it that you are the ruler of this town?" Vert responded.

"That is correct. I am the one who guides and oversees the people of this disheveled town." Replied the young woman. "I am Little Rain."

"Little Rain?" Vio questioned to the white-haired girl.

"We shall delve into such matters later, Vio." Vert said to her friend. "For now," she then turned to the girl called Little Rain with a smile on her face. "we discuss the important things in hand."

"We can discuss those in my room, Miss Vert." said Little Rain. "If you will follow me, please."

"I hope you don't mind my soldiers guarding the perimeter of your Hall, miss Little Rain."

"I do not mind at all." Replied Little Rain to Vert with a smile. "It actually puts me at ease knowing our safety is in hand."

After being lead inside, they finally reached Little Rain's room. It is not big but the table and chairs located on one side of the room is enough for the three of them to discuss matters privately. And as they sat down, they proceeded with the discussion.

"Again, I appreciate the efforts being done by Leanbox in stopping the advance of ASIC into our town, despite already being infiltrated once by attacking one particular household." Little Rain started.

"I did notice the lack of… defenders here in your town." Vert mentioned.

"Not to mention the lack of technology." Added Vio.

"Well, as you can see that the western continent is quite an unorganized land." Said Little Rain in disdain. "Instead of a unified land, every part of the land just do as they pleased. But we here in the Capital, we try our best to rise up and be as organized as possible. We do have some volunteers who take guard of our premises, but we do not have the proper resources to actually produce soldiers like yours. We are but a humble community who worships our goddess Celestia."

"Now I understand your situation." Said Vert. "Not to worry. We are here to assist you in eliminating this threat to the peace of the Capital."

"Thank you, Miss Vert." replied Little Rain. "But we must do it in haste, for some residents here are slowly converting to the cause of the Evil goddess group."

"So, moving on…" Interjected Vio. "Miss Little Rain, have you any information regarding the enemy and its leader? Any encounters with them?"

"I do." Replied Little Rain. "But it would be best if the person whom holds the information herself speak out to you."

"I see. Please do." Responded Vert.

And as Little Rain's attendant came in to bring some tea for them to drink, Little Rain asks the attendant to call for that person and send her to her room when she leaves the room.

"So… may I ask your real name, miss Little Rain?" Vio questioned as she picks up her cup of tea and takes a sip from it.

"Vio…" sighed Vert to her friend.

"What? I politely asked, you know." Said Vio as a matter of fact. "At least we can identify her better if we know her real name."

"Ehehehehe... You two are quite amusing." Giggled Little Rain. "Well, miss Vio, my actual name is Ame."

"Ame, huh." Repeated Vio.

"If I'm not mistaken, the name Ame means rain from a northern continent language." Vert said.

"Ehehe. Yes. So hence the title Little Rain that the people of this town gave to me."

"Well you are pretty young to be a town ruler, miss Ame." Said Vert amusingly. "But I do not doubt that you did well in managing this town."

"How did you end up being the leader of this town, anyway?" Vio pushed on.

"Actually, I am not from here." Ame started. "I am actually a missionary priestess from the northern continent who was sent here to spread the word of Celestia to this once unorganized town. But after a few lectures and assistance, the people of this town suddenly asked me to stay here and guide them further to salvation. When I asked and got a reply from my superiors, they allowed me to stay here and was told to guide the people of this town towards a life of fulfillment."

"How charitable of you, miss Ame, to stay and guide these people. Quite inspiring, I must say." Said Vert delightfully.

By then, Little Rain's attendant return saying that the person she asked for is just by the door now.

"Please send her in." Little Rain ordered to the attendant.

The person they requested came in, and almost immediately, she met the gazes of Vert and Vio. This person is fair-skinned girl with large blue eyes. She has long gray hair grown out to hip length. She wears a white corset top with a black ribbon tied up the center and held between the breast with a bow. Over it is a black jacket with a large white cross design at the end of each sleeve, with the lapel lined in white and white frills sticking out of the cuff. Her skirt is a thick striping of black and grey with white frills lining the hem and a black belt held by a grey clasp. She wears grey shoes with a cross design, worn with a pair of black and white leg warmers with a pair of white and black striped stockings. And around her neck is a pair of black and red headphones.

"Is she that person, miss Ame?" Vio asked.

"Yes. She is the person who encountered the strong enemies." Little Rain introduced. "Not to mention that she has also volunteered in keeping the peace of this town in check while I still struggle to build a proper defense force."

"As I have said, lady Little Rain, I am no hero. But I gladly volunteered to your cause so that no evil can come across this town." Said the girl with a black jacket while she covers the left part of her face with her left hand. "My only goal is to defeat and destroy evil using my noble sword and gun, so that the world may realize the path towards peace and justice."

"She… acts like a… what was that northern word again?" Vio whispered to Vert.

"Oh don't you start, Vio." Said Vert bemusingly to her friend. "She is no chuunibyou… I think." She hesitated before saying the last phrase.

"So you are the CPU of the southern continent." Said the girl as she turned to Vert. "I am Nitroplus. Nice to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you, miss Nitroplus." Replied Vert.

"Please sit with us and have some tea." Little Rain offered to Nitroplus.

"Don't mind if I do." Said Nitroplus, taking in Rain's offer.

"So, miss Nitroplus…" started Vert.

"Please, call me Nitroplus, Lady Green Heart."

"Very well, then." Said Vert in agreement. "So, Nitroplus, I am amazed that you were able to infiltrate enemy grounds and making sure that you've gathered much information about them."

"Hiding in the shadows and making sure my presence is not felt is no easy task, my lady." Said Nitroplus.

"Can you tell us anything that you've gathered, then?" requested Vert.

"I can do that."

"Did you see any enemy that looked strong enough to deal with?" Vio butted in.

"Yes." Replied Nitroplus as she picks up her cup of tea and drank it in one gulp. "I can say that there are four of them."

"F-four of them?" said Vert in bewilderment.

"So I was right…" murmured Vio.

"Actually, I only saw three of them on their base of operations." Said Nitroplus. "But on my way back, I saw the other one flying back – looked like a woman that can slaughter a hundred people easily."

"Yes, I already know what she looked like." Said Vert. "I have encountered her prior to our arrival here."

"And what about the other three?" Vio pushed on. "Can you describe them to us?"

"Of course." Replied Nitroplus. "Unlike the mysterious woman who flew past me, the other three looked more like machines."

"Go on." Vio persuaded.

"One of them looked like a big, fat, drooling, dirty yellow armored like being resembling either a pig, or possibly a lizard with an enormous tongue." Nitroplus described.

"Another one is like a giant toy-like robot with a giant, flaming sword as a weapon."

"Uh huh." Muttered Vert.

"And lastly, a big, black, bulky armored being who wields a giant ax." Nitroplus finished her description.

Vert then turned a serious face to Vio. "So we do have four felons to deal with."

"I actually predicted this would be the case but I haven't really prepared myself for it." Replied Vio. "This is gonna be no walk in the park with hordes of the undead roaming about."

"And as we speak now," injected Nitroplus in the conversation. "they may be planning for an infiltration of this town based on what I've heard on my reconnaissance."

"What was that?!" said Vert in surprise.

"I'm afraid that is the case, miss Vert." said Little Rain dishearteningly. "That is why I will be selfish today and ask for you to protect this town from enemy forces."

"Indeed." Said Nitroplus in agreement. "Me and my noble sword may not be enough to hold back against them, no matter how strong a Fury this is." She then proceeded to procure her weapon, a single bladed sword that has a red colored blade and a silver handle.

"Did you say that is a Fury?" Vert questioned.

"I am a Fencer, after all." Answered Nitroplus with confidence in her voice. "I hunt down Furies for their power in order to fulfill my goal of defeating all evil in this world."

"What a coincidence. We also have a companion that is a Fencer." Vert said casually to Nitroplus.

"I hate to break it to you girls, but we need to prepare for the enemy attack." Vio reminds them.

"Indeed. We should take action immediately." Vert agreed. "Miss Ame, things may get dangerous over here. I suggest you stay in our base of operations for now until this battle is dealt with."

"I understand your concerns miss Vert, but I can assist you in battle as a designated healer for the injured." Little Rain assured Vert.

Vert gave it some thought at first before finally agreeing with Little Rain. "Please look after Ame for us while we prepare, Nitroplus."

"Lady Little Rain will be safe in my hands." Assured Nitroplus. "But I would like to meet that Fencer companion of yours later."

"Heh. I'd be careful with her if I were you." Vio said half jokingly as she stood up from her seat.

"Why so?"

"She is quite the Fury enthusiast, so be careful. She might just steal away that precious Fury of yours."

"Oh come now, Vio, please don't joke like that." Said Vert half amused. "Harley would never do such things."

"Hehe. No matter how an enthusiast she is, I will never give away Raw Meat to anyone." Nitroplus said assuringly while she brandishes her crimson bladed sword.

But what Nitroplus said made Vert and Vio look back at her in confusion.

"I… I beg your pardon?" asked Vert.

"R-raw meat?"

"Yes. That is the name of my Fury." Answered Nitroplus.

"Wh-why Raw Meat?"

"Well she is as red as fresh meat." Nitroplus reasoned to them.

"I – I see…." Was all Vio and Vert could say in unison.

* * *

Half an hour later after they have left town hall, they have returned to the XBC13 with Vio riding on her helicopter while Vert opted to transform and fly. When they arrived and went in, they were greeted by Nurse Compile.

"Welcome back, Lady Vert and General Vio."

"We are back, Compile." Replied Vert. "Is little Yuu alright?"

"Yes, don't worry. She is in excellent condition and is sleeping soundly in your room."

"That is good to hear." Said Vert in relief. "By the way, has Harley and Bahus returned?"

"Uhm… yes. Miss Harley has returned." Answered Compile while trying to hide the worry in her face. But that didn't get past Vert however.

"Is everything alright?" asked Vert further.

"Well…"

Compile told the two what happened to Harley earlier; about having an injured arm, and something that is more worrying. And almost immediately, after Compile has told them her piece, Vert and Vio rushed for Harley's room. But before they could reach the place, they saw Harley walking along the corridor towards the crew's quarters. And when Harley saw the two of them, she just casually greeted them.

"Oh, welcome back, you two." Said Harley with a grin. "So, how was your meeting with the town leader?"

"Are you alright?" asked Vert immediately. "What happened during your recon?"

And Harley told them about having an encounter with one of the felons that Nitroplus described.

"S – seriously?" said Vio in shock. "You two encountered one of them?!"

"Yeah, we did. A huge machine that wields an axe. And none of my bullets even put a dent on it."

"But Harley…," Vert begun. "… where is Bahus?"

But Harley didn't answer. She just looked at them casually.

"Why are you not answering, Harley?" interrogated Vio. "Did something happened to him?"

"Well…uhm…"

"Please tell us, Harley." Ordered Vert to Harley with a straight face.

With a sigh, Harley gave in. "He's here."

But instead of a big man appearing from behind her like what Vert and Vio were expecting, Harley showed them a finely decorated sword.

"What is that?" Vio asked in confusion.

"It's Bahus. He's in this Fury." Said Harley casually. "Neat huh."

"I do not understand." Vert said in confusion to what Harley just mentioned.

"If you ask me, I don't get it either." Replied Harley. "All I know is, I have a Fury in hand right now with Bahus contained in it."

Vert was ready to press on in interrogating Harley, but there were more pressing matters in her mind right now.

"Listen, Harley, we are not done yet on asking you what really happened during your reconnaisance. But for now, if you are in fighting conditon, then I need you to get ready." Said Vert.

"Y-yeah, I am. But… why? What's the matter?" asked Harley.

"ASIC is gonna make a move on the Capital at any time soon." Vio answered. "So it's best if we prepare ourselves to defend the town from them."

"We may need every man's help on this one, Harley." Said Vert. "So be ready." With that, Vert turned her back on Harley to head towards the ship's control tower with Vio following suit, leaving Harley behind.

"Well, I guess my inevitable scolding from Vert gets postponed for a while." Harley said to herself.

And as Harley thinks of ways on how to fight against the enemies, she wondered how she is gonna use the Fury in her hand.

" _I'm a ranged fighter, not a swordsman._ " She thought as she peers on the Fury in her hand. "*sigh*. No time to forge this sword into a gun or two."

"If only Bahus is still here…."

But suddenly, the sword in her hand started glowing, surprising her in the process.

"Wh-what the….?"

And as the sword grew brighter, it suddenly turned liquid-like before it divided itself into two separate blobs.

"Whoa…"

And slowly, the two glowing blobs formed into things that Harley is very familiar with.

"N-no way…."

The once single sword now formed into two black pistols with gold highlights around it. And as Harley proceeded to pick up the weapons…

" _Heh. Have I kept you waiting, Harley_?" spoke the weapons using a voice that is all too familiar to Harley.

"B-Bahus….?"

" _I dunno how you fused me into this Fury, and I was certain I died, but you can tell me the details later._ " Said Bahus' voice in the newly formed Fury. " _For now, our assistance is needed by Lady Vert. So let us give them a hand, okay?_ "

"Hehe." Smirked Harley after recovering from the surprise. "Still the same, responsible person huh."

" _You in fighting conditon, Harley_?" asked Bahus.

"Yup, I already said that I am." She said with a smirk as she holstered her new profound weapon and started walking to follow Vert to the control tower. "By the way, Bahus…"

" _Hmm?_ "

"I'm glad to have you back…," She said with a smile.

"… partner."

To be continued….


	6. Chapter 6 - The Man in White

Chapter 6 – The Man in White

Nightfall comes.

"Prepare to defend, everyone!" – that was the given order of Vert to the crew of the XBC13 Elite and the other Leanbox soldiers as they prepare to defend the Capital against the rumored assault that ASIC will do according to Nitroplus' gathered intel. And as to prevent a possible pincer attack, Leanbox soldiers are stationed around the Capital's perimeter. Vert and a few soldiers, along with some deployed Mobile Infirmaries are stationed around the Capital's town hall to secure Ame, also called Little Rain.

And as for the outside defense, since the possible direction of an attack shall come from the eastern part of the Capital, the defenders were positioned at the northeastern, east and southeastern parts of the Capital with their designated squad leaders.

Nitroplus and a few Leanbox soldiers stationed themselves at the north-eastern part of town.

"You ready, Raw Meat?" Nitroplus asked her inanimate weapon, which just glowed a brighter crimson for a few seconds in response to her question.

Vio, meanwhile, is stationed at the eastern part of town by the woods, equipped with her usual armaments.

"Hmm… should I rapid – fire my rocket launcher at the enemy?" she asked to herself.

This however made one soldier beside Vio look at her, seemingly wanting to say something but is unable to due to the fact that Vio is his general and he doesn't want to sound rude to her. All he managed was a sweatdrop.

"I better not, I guess." Vio concluded without even noticing the soldier who looked at her, much to the soldier's relief.

As for Harley, she has the southeastern part to defend, just a few meters by the seashore. And as she and her assigned crew await for the enemies' arrival, she tests her new profound Fury.

 _*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*_

"Hmm… I can do a rapid fire now and it has limitless ammunition. Sweet~!" squealed Harley in delight. "But this still doesn't make it far from extraordinary."

" _It's an earth elemental Fury, Harley._ " Said Bahus within the weapon. " _This Fury is the reason I was able to use earth elemental magic when I fought that Judge robot._ "

"Oh?! So how do I do that magic thing?" asked Harley in excitement.

" _Well, since you are now one with the Fury…and me, I guess… try to focus your mind and channel the energy of the Fury towards your body._ " Suggested Bahus.

"Okay, then." Said Harley. And so, she closed her eyes and did what Bahus has told him. And slowly but surely, she could feel a warm sensation coming from the Fury starting to flow in her hands and up to her arms.

"Whoa…." Muttered some of the soldiers who was with Harley.

The remarks of the soldiers made Harley open her eyes to see what was happening. And the site instantly made her grin in awe.

"Whoa indeed!" she said.

She and the Fury were glowing a bright, earth-like color. And underneath her feet was a magic circle emanating the same glow.

"So… what comes next, Bahus?"

" _Everything is up to you now from here, Harley._ " Replied Bahus. " _You can now fully use the powers of this Fury at your will._ "

"So sweet~!" cheered Harley. "Okay then. Let's try…" she then proceeded to kneel down to the magic circle as she looked around for something to test her powers on.

" _Why not on that chunk of rock over by the sandy shores?_ " suggested Bahus.

"Neat. And so I shall try." Muttered Harley.

She then focused to look on the rock and tried to think of what she wants to happen to the rock.

And then…

" _RUPTURE!_ "

Starting from where her hand was touching the ground,cracks started to trail from the ground towards the rock. And when the cracks have reached the rock, the ground underneath the rock cracked open and engulfed the giant rock before the fissure closed again to form a smooth ground once more.

"Heh. That's the trick I used against that robot." Said Bahus.

"So… freaking cool." Replied Harley in awe.

* * *

But as time passes by however…

"The enemy still hasn't appeared." Said Little Rain.

"And its almost the crack of dawn." Replied Vert.

"But I trust Nitroplus' information more than any other." Commented Little Rain. "The enemy may be planning on a delayed attack just to make us drop our guard."

"That is a possibility." Replied Vert. "Then we shall endure with more waiting."

More time passes by and as noon arrived, Vert called to withdraw each squad leaders, but still leaving some soldiers in their posts, and were asked to return to town hall to discuss the next steps to take after the expected enemy forces were a no-show.

"But… I heard them talk about it." Said Nitroplus in defense as she, Vert and the others are huddled up in Little Rain's room around her room table. "I swear I heard them talk about an invasion of the Capital on my espionage in their base. And their plan was to attack last night."

"Not to worry, Nitroplus. We do not doubt your gathered intel." Vert assured Nitroplus.

"But you did mention yesterday that you saw one of them fly past just above you, right?" Vio questioned to Nitroplus. "What if that enemy saw you by chance and has warned the others? So no wonder they didn't showed up because they knew we will be prepared for them and thought otherwise."

"Pretty naïve of you to say that, Vio." Remarked Harley with a grin, making Vio give her a mean look. "But nonetheless a possibility... Hehe." She added after.

"I made sure I was completely hidden when I saw her before she flew past my location." Argued Nitroplus.

"Hmm…." Murmured Vert as she is deep in thought. "What if she felt your presence? You are carrying a weapon imbued with powers from a deity."

"Sh-she felt Raw Meat's presence…?" said a startled Nitroplus. "Th-then…, my espionage was a failure…."

"You have done well actually, Nitroplus…," Little Rain assured her. "…for you have returned to us safely after doing such a dangerous task."

"Ame is correct, Nitroplus." Said Vert in agreement. "You have done your mission well."

"Well… I guess I just got lucky that I wasn't attacked on the spot." Muttered Nitroplus while she scratches her head. "I mean… Raw Meat and I got lucky." She corrected herself.

"But we cannot lower our guard just yet." Vert told them. "After this conversation, I will ask all of you to return to your stations until we assure that the Capital is safe from enemy attack."

"Why not we do another reconnaissance just to find out the enemy location?" suggested Harley.

"After your last recon ended up with you injured and Bahus dead, I highly disagree with that risky move." Argued Vio. "And you still have yet to tell us what really happened during your recon."

"I can tell you guys about it now, if you want me to." Said Harley in a serious tone while still showing a faint smile.

"Very well, Harley." Said Vert. "Please tell us what really happened to you and Bahus."

And so Harley told them what she and Bahus underwent on their reconnaissance. She told them about encountering one of the felons named Judge, how they fought against it with Bahus getting fatally injured by one of the felon's attack drones, and how she was saved by a man in white clothing and that she was told by him that the Fury she possess was a special one that gets stronger once it absorbs a life energy.

"I see…" muttered Vert.

"That was quite the ordeal you and sir Bahus have faced, miss Harley." Said Little Rain.

"Well, it's all fine I guess." Replied Harley. "Bahus exists within a Fury; me in possession of a Fury that Bahus originally found, yeah… all fine."

"Now that makes things more clearer." Concluded Vio. "But a reconnaisance in our current situation is not ideal."

"Vio is right. It is quite a risky task." Vert agreed. "A reconnaisance wouldn't be a problem have we only perfected and produced enough drones for surveillance."

"Why is that the case, miss Vert?" asked Little Rain. "We have seen those contraptions of yours fly around here quite some time ago."

"Y-yes… we have sent some earlier on, but one of them got destroyed and the other two broke down before it could returned to us." Said Vert in dismay. "They may have proven to be effective recon and surveillance equipment but sadly, there were hardware issues that cost us to loose them."

"Anyway, we should continue to be on our guard." Said Vert. "The enemy may know or not, we should show to them that Leanbox is ready to defend and fight them off. You may all go now. Nothing changes to our defense plan."

* * *

And as their meeting ended, they were all returned to their posts. But like before, everything remained quiet. No enemy charging from any direction.

"*Sigh*…. This is turning into quite a waiting game." Sighed Vio as she perused one of her… yaoi – themed books.

"You are quite a fujoshi, miss Vio." Said a curious voice behind Vio's back.

When Vio looked behind, she saw Nitroplus also looking at her book.

"Why are you not on your post, Nitro?" Vio asked to her.

"I was just checking up on here. No other reason." replied Nitroplus casually.

"I heard that and it was pretty rude of you to call Vio here a fujoshi, miss Nitroplus."

When the both of them looked for the one who said it, they saw Harley walking toward them with a grin.

"Sorry, but there was no pun intended to what I just said." Nitroplus replied to Harley. "I described her as a 'respectable woman' in northern continent language, miss Harley, not the other way around."

"Really now." Smirked Harley. "My mistake then. Hehe…"

"Seriously, why did you two left your posts?" Vio questioned them.

"It was quite boring there." Replied the two in unison.

"Boring or not, stay on your posts." Vio scolded the two. "We are here to defend against an expected enemy attack. We're not here to wait for an entertainment!"

"But you're reading a book and seemed quite indulged in it." Nitroplus pointed out.

"Well, at least I'm still on my post unlike you two." Vio argued on.

"Come now, Vio. I doubt the enemy would attack anytime soon now after long hours of waiting." Said Harley as a matter-of-fact.

* _ **BOOOM!**_ *

An explosion occurred inside the woods of Virtua Forest, a couple of meters away from Vio's squad post, alerting her troops to prepare for an attack.

"You just had to jinx it, Harley." Said Vio in annoyance while putting down her book and picking up her trusty handguns.

"Well at least it's not boring anymore." Replied Harley casually as she picks up her Fury.

"Get ready. It is getting close." Nitroplus warned them as she brandishes Raw Meat.

True enough, the rustling of the trees are getting closer towards the edge of the forest where Vio's troops are stationed at.

And suddenly…

* _ **WHOOSH…**_ *

Someone swooped past the edge of the forest and landed in a kneeling position in front of Vio's troops.

"Wait... You're...!" Harley started saying after she saw who the person was.

"You know this person, Harley?" said Vio in bewilderment as she points her weapons at the person who unexpectedly appeared.

"He's the one who saved me…" answered Harley.

But then the man wearing white clothing stood up and smiled at them casually. "I am glad you remembered me, miss Harley, but I suggest you tell your friends to… clear the area." He said with a smile.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Nitroplus.

"Well, as we speak right now…" he started as he points at the forest behind him with his thumb. "… my companion is busy fighting a formidable enemy right now and I believe they are headed in this direction as they assault each other."

"Sorry, not happening mister…"replied Vio without lowering her guard.

"It is Sherman, miss Vio. Sherman Shallancer is my full name." he said casually with a bow. "I believe such a large force is no longer needed for now, though."

The rustling of the trees within grew closer and closer and a clash of metal can now be heard in a distance.

"Wait… how did you know my name? And what do you mean about no longer needing my soldiers around here."

"Well, I have taken care of the… invasion for you." He replied casually.

"WHAT?!" yelled Nitroplus in surprise.

"H-how did you-" asked Vio before she got cut off by a sudden appearance of a robot-like human fighting against a yellow-colored, giant lizard-like being who is swishing its long and slimy tongue aggressively towards the robot-like human.

"Aaaaand…, they are here." Said Sherman calmly.

"What the…" muttered Nitroplus and Harley in shock.

"A… a giant Licker?" said a baffled Vio.

"You dare… extinguish my forces?!" yelled the yellow being as it swishes its tongue more against its attacker. "You dare challenge Trick the Hard?!"

Without waiting for any orders, the Leanbox soldiers fired their automatic rifles at the being named Trick. But all it did was aggravate it as it thrashes away swiftly, waving its tongue and claws at anyone who was near.

"Tch… it's quite agile despite the size." Muttered Vio as she fires her gun at Trick. She then picked up her rocket launcher and aimed it at the still thrashing beast. "Everyone stand clear! FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

The rocket made its way towards Trick and exploded upon impact. But when the smoke got swooped away with a slash of a claw, it is clear that Vio's attack made no effect.

"Hey! No use of-" Trick yelled but he stopped short after seeing Vio, Harley and Nitroplus while he just ignores the fact that he was getting hit by a barrage of bullets from the soldiers.

"Oh I see it now! You just lured me here to see these old women which I really do not prefer!" he yelled at Sherman. "Little girls are way better for they do not have those big bags in their chest that will grow soggy in the end."

"What was that…?!" said Nitroplus, upset about what she heard.

"O-old woman…?!" said a baffled Harley.

"The nerve of you to say that, you pedophile Licker!" said Vio angrily.

"How rude of you to call these fine ladies that." Said Sherman as his companion named Ryushin went beside him and transformed into a sword, which Sherman picked up. "They will soon feel that their age will be irrelevant. For now, we continue-"

"Hhrrrraaaaarrrrgghhh!"

Sherman got cut off when Nitroplus suddenly attacked Trick using her Fury that is now flaming. And even though Trick was able to parry it using his claws, Nitroplus keeps pushing her flaming sword.

"How dare you call me an old woman!" yelled Nitroplus in anger. "I just recently stepped on age 20, damn it!"

"Aaaagh! So noisy of you, you hag!" retorted Trick as he keeps Nitroplus' sword from slicing him.

"Out of the way, Nitro!" yelled Vio as she aimed another rocket at Trick.

And on cue, Nitroplus jumped away from Trick.

"EAT THIS!" Vio yelled as she fired the rocket from her launcher.

* _ **BOOOM!**_ *

"Fool! Such things cannot harm me!" yelled Trick as he swiped his claws away to clear the smoke.

"Heh, I know that." Muttered Vio. "Harley, do it!"

Harley re-positioned herself towards Trick's side and summoned a magic circle underneath her.

"Time to bury you alive, you pedo. _RUPTURE!_ "

The ground underneath Trick formed a fissure and cracked open, making their unsuspecting enemy fall down to it.

"Not done yet!" she yelled as she slowly raises her hands as she magically pulls out huge chunks of rock from the ground. "Here's a new trick I learned.… _ROCK FALL!_ "

And at Harley's command, the huge chunks of rock started raining down on the still trapped beast, burying him underneath like a grave.

"We… we did it." Said Vio as she catches her breath.

"That was quite an irritating enemy…" said Nitroplus.

* _ **CRASH!**_ * The dirt mound Harley created crumbled as Trick pulls himself free.

"That does it…!" sneered Trick. "Time for you all to die!"

And as he was about to make a jump towards Sherman and the girls…

" _SYLHET SPEAR!_ "

A giant spear came down from the sky and hit Trick squarely in the body before exploding.

And from out of the blue, Green Heart landed in front of Vio.

"Vert!" said Vio in relief.

"Sorry to keep you girls waiting." Replied Green Heart.

But when the smoke from Green Heart's attack faded, they saw that Trick was nowhere in sight.

"You… you did it?" Harley hoped.

"I do not think so." Answered Green Heart.

"But… you hit it directly. I saw it." Argued Nitroplus.

"I believe he got called away." It was Sherman who answered this time.

"Indeed." Green Heart agreed. "The beast's presence just suddenly disappeared on the spot. Meaning, it got recalled by their ringleader. Am I correct, mister…?"

"Sherman Shallancer at your service, Lady Green Heart of Leanbox." Said Sherman courteously as his sword reverted back into a robot by his side.

"You must be pretty strong for a Fencer to be able to defeat the enemy's army like that." Nitroplus mentioned.

"I can take on any number of enemies as long as Ryushin is by my side." He replied. "I do this for the sake of destroying evil like you intend to do so as well, miss Nitroplus."

"Hey Sherman…," Vio called his attention. "…how did you know my name? And what do you mean about our age being irrelevant?"

"Actually, miss Vio," he then looked at Vio straight in the eye. "it is already irrelevant to you, correct?"

"What do you-" Vio stopped what she was about to say and made an experession of disbelief. "I-impossible…"

"Don't tell me…." Muttered Vert as she looked at Sherman.

"Yes. This form of evil might take long to defeat." Sherman mentioned. "So, I intend to do the same treatment they did to miss Vio on these two girls."

"Wait-!" yelled Vio.

But with a snap of Sheman's finger, Ryushin instantly moved towards Harley and Nitroplus before heading back to his companion.

And when Harley and Nitroplus looked, they saw a syringe stabbed in each of their arms. Before the two could even utter a word though, they suddenly felt weakness run through their bodies making them collapse and lose consciousness almost immediately.

"Well, that's two deeds done." Said Sherman. "Now that beast won't be bothering you for now, I'll take my leave."

"You…. What is your-!" but before Vert could complete her words, Sherman disappeared in a fashion like he did before when he rescued Harley.

Vert then ordered her soldiers to rally the injured and bring them to their mobile infirmaries. And as an unconscious Harley and Nitroplus got carried away in stretchers by the soldiers, Vio approached Vert carrying the two syringes that Sherman used.

"Vio, are… are they….?" Vert started.

Vio gave out a sigh first before answering. "Yes…. It is the same serum, Vert."

She then showed Vert the two empty syringes, making sure that the logo can be seen by Vert. And there, scrolled around the logo of a red and white umbrella was a name that is familiar to Vert and especially Vio.

PROPERTY OF PARASOL CORPORATION

"Sherman used the same serum that they used on me Vert…." Said Vio.

"They are now infected like I do….."

To be continued….


	7. Chapter 7 - Vio's Revelation

Chapter 7 – Vio's Revelation

" _General…?_ "

Vio was standing at the front doors of what looked like a dark, ruined office of a nation's leader. There were debris all over with the wall opposite the front door torn down. She was looking at a man standing just a few feet away from her facing the opposite direction.

" _General?_ " Vio asked again to the person.

After calling out to him, the man suddenly turned around lazily and started limping towards her.

"A-are you alright, sir?" she asked the man. But the man just slowly walked towards her direction and ignored her question.

By this time, Vio then realized that there was something wrong with this person. She then aimed her handgun at the person but she didn't fired yet. She really wanted to make sure of something before taking action.

" _General…, stand down._ " Vio warned to the person. However, the man just continued his slow approach towards Vio.

" _General, I said stand down!_ " Vio warned again. But the man still continues to limp towards her, this time he raised his arms like preparing to grab Vio when he gets close to her. " _Stand down, please. STAND… DOWN, SIR!_ "

" _Grrr…._ " Grumbled the man hoarsely. " _Grraaahh…._ "

This seemed to confirm Vio's fears, and it was enough to complete her resolve for her next action.

" _I'm… I'm sorry…._ " She muttered in a low voice.

After bracing herself, she then aimed her gun higher, towards the man's head.

" _Grraaaaaarrrhhh…._ "

" _I'm… really sorry…"_

* _ **BANG!**_ *

* * *

"*Gasp*!"

Vio woke up with a startled look while still lying with her back on the bed, wearing a large white t-shirt that reaches down to her upper thighs. In her shirt was a small red bio-hazard symbol printed in the middle. She looked around for a while before concluding that she is indeed still in her bedroom aboard the XBC13.

"It's that dream again, huh." She sighed to herself as she sat up from her bed and peered through the porthole window of her room towards the inky, night sky filled with stars.

"*Sigh*…. Quite a peaceful moment despite being in the middle of a conflict." She mumbled to herself. "I sure hope those two come out alright."

* * *

The next morning came. Ever since yesterday's encounter, Vert ordered her troops to sweep the surrounding areas near the Capital of any enemy forces that may still be lingering around. As for Vert and Vio, they continue to monitor the condition of Harley and Nitroplus in the ship's infirmary as they remain unconscious after getting injected by an unknown serum by the man in white named Sherman. The two unconscious girls lay side by side on two hospital beds as medical instruments attached to their bodies continue to monitor their conditions. However, what was weird was that they are strapped in to their respective beds as if to prevent them from getting off it.

"Still unconscious, huh." Said Vert as she arrived at the infirmary while carrying little Yuu with her.

"What took you so long?" asked Vio.

"Well I did gave little Yuu here a bath before coming here." Answered Vert. "So now she is as fresh as she can be, isn't that right, Yuu.~" she said as she cuddled the little girl in her arms, making the toddler giggle.

"Heh, it seems she's growing attached to you, Vert." remarked Vio to her friend.

"Hmhmhm~. That I do not mind happening." Replied Vert.

"Well…, I think it's best if you didn't bring her here inside the infirmary." Vio suggested.

"Hmm?"

"Because before these two fully gains consciousness, little Yuu may find their awakening a bit… scary."

"I see." Said Vert. She then hesitated for a while before saying what was in her mind. "I forgot that this thing also happened to you before. I am sorry for forgetting."

"It's okay, Vert." Vio replied with a smile. "Just take little Yuu away from the infirmary for now so as she doesn't get scared. I'll look after these two."

"I will, Vio. Just call for Compile if you needed assistance." Said Vert. "Let's go back to my room then, little Yuu~?" Vert addressed to the little girl before turning around to leave the infirmary.

* * *

Minutes passed, Compile arrived at the infirmary. However, she was accompanied by a person whom they are very familiar with now, especially by Harley.

"B-Bahus…?" blurted by a surprised Vio.

"Well, I have became one with a Fury so I figured out on how to rematerialize in my human form." Bahus answered. "But enough about me. What are Harley and the other girl's conditions?"

"As of now, they are still unconscious." Vio answered.

"Is there any way to help them recover?" questioned Bahus as his worry grows further as time passes by.

"No, there is no stopping the FL-Virus from here once it enters a human body." Vio replied. "We can only wait for its course to end."

"No way. I refuse to believe that there is no other way to help them!" argued Bahus.

"Believe me. There is no stopping the virus!" Said Vio while slowly raising her voice. "We can only hope that the virus finds them compatible so that they could live on and not turn into two undead and mindless Fencers."

"What?!" shouted Bahus in disbelief.

"Oh no! Their vital signs are dropping!" said Compile in a panic.

"Leave them be, miss Compile." Vio told the panicking nurse. "It seems the FL-Virus is taking over their bodies now. Just stay away from them for now until it's over."

"H-huh?!" muttered Compile in shock from Vio's response.

"H-how do you know these things?" Bahus questioned in confusion to Vio.

Vio looked at Bahus for a while and hesitated on what she was about to say.

"Well?!"yelled Bahus.

"Just… stand back from them." Muttered Vio.

And suddenly….

* _ **BEEEEEEEEEEEP**_ *

"F-flat line!" mumbled Compile as she dashed towards to the nearest patient.

"No! Harl-" But before Bahus could finish what he was about to say, he fell into his knees while clutching his chest as if he is in pain.

"What's wrong, Bahus?!" asked Vio as he approaches Bahus to help him.

"I-I don't know…." Bahus replied weakly. "I feel weak all of a sudden…."

"Wh-what…?" was all Vio could say before….

"GAAAAAAAH!" shouted Compile.

Along with her shout, the sounds of the metal frame of the hospital beds clanging were echoing in the room. And when they looked up….

"Wh-what is going on…?!" said a bewildered Bahus.

"It has begun…." Muttered Vio. "This is the reason why I let Vert take little Yuu away from here. The sight really is scary to look at…, even for me."

In the two hospital beds, Harley and Nitroplus' bodies started twitching and convulsing violently. Their eyes wide open as if they were feeling immense amounts of pain. And slowly, their blood vessels can be seen etching underneath their arms, legs, eyes and face.

"NOOO!" yelled Bahus as he stood up with a struggle and made a dash beside Harley's bed.

"There is no helping them from here, Bahus…." Said Vio calmly.

"DAMN WITH THAT!" Bahus cursed to Vio. "YOU'RE JUST REFUSING TO HELP THEM, DAMN IT!"

"Tch… it's not that I don't want to help, Bahus!" Said Vio. It was obvious in her voice that she got pissed off at Bahus for cursing at her.

"Then why do you know all of this is gonna happen, huh?! IT'S OBVIOUS THAT YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO HELP BECAUSE IT DOESN'T CONCERN YOU!"

"BECAUSE I'VE EXPERIENCED THE DARN SAME THING BEFORE, DAMN IT!" yelled Vio in anger.

"G-general Vio…." Muttered Compile silently.

"Y-you what…?" Bahus said in surprise.

"Yeah! I also went through that thing!" Vio continued on. "Are you now happy to know that if those two survived the FL-Virus that they would live on like I do?!"

"I…uh…"

But before Bahus could fully speak, the two girls stopped convulsing and lied still on their beds but their lifeless eyes didn't fully closed and were just slightly open. Their blood vessels also hid back from their skins except in their eyes where it is still visible.

"H-Harley…?" muttered Bahus.

"It is done…." Said Vio after calming down. "Now, we wait and see if the virus properly revives them back to their normal selves."

"Wh-what do you mean, General…?" asked Compile.

"Either they wake up with their sanity and personality intact or they wake up as mindless brain eating individuals." Replied Vio.

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

"Th-their vitals are up again…!" Compile uttered in surprise as she analyzed the medical machine. "Forty…fifty…sixty…, their heart rate is slowly returning back to normal…. Amazing…!"

"Huh, they survived…." Sighed Vio in relief.

"And I… don't feel weak anymore." Said Bahus as he looks down to his hands. "But thank goodness if they are safe now…."

"Hmpf…. I told you to stay calm and wait." Retorted Vio.

"But wait, how can we be sure that they really will wake up normally?" inquired Bahus.

"You see their hearts beating, right?" answered Vio with a tinge of sarcasm. "If they awoken without their hearts beating, then that means they got taken over the wrong way and we end up with two undead girls who'll want to bite on our flesh."

"I… I see…"

"Well, you can stay beside your ' _daughter'_ now if you like to." Said Vio with an emphasis to the word daughter as she turns around to leave the infirmary. "I'm just gonna go and meet Vert to tell her the good news."

"Hey, Vio…" Bahus called for her.

"Yeah?" Said Vio without turning around to look at Bahus.

"Sorry… for doubting you."

"Heh, you have no idea on the situation anyway so it's fine." Vio acknowledges before completely heading out the room.

* * *

Two hours passed by, they received news from Compile that Harley and Nitroplus have woken up from their coma. And so Vert, while carrying little Yuu once more, along with Vio and Little Rain headed for the infirmary to meet the two Fencers. And as Little Rain saw Nitroplus awake, she made a dash on her sick friend's bed side.

"Oh thank Celestia that you are alive and well, Nitroplus." Said Little Rain in relief.

"Hehe. Well Ame, as long as there is still evil lingering about the surface of Gamindustri, I will continue to live on and fight." Said Nitroplus.

As for Harley….

"Whoa, you're back to your body!" said Harley as she saw Bahus approach her on her bed side.

"Well, if that white-clothed Fencer can make his Fury take a human or mobile form, why can't I do the same?" replied Bahus. "Anyway, glad to still have you here, partner."

"Yeah. If you ask me, I thought I was a goner back then when we got stabbed by those nasty syringes." Harley said in relief.

"Wait, didn't you two felt what happened when the both of you were unconscious?" Compile asked out of curiosity.

"No…, I can't even remember a thing after losing consciousness." Answered Nitroplus. "Well after waking up, I did felt lightheaded."

"Same with me." Harley told them. "And, it seems that the injury on my right arm opened up again." She pointed out to her right arm which was bandaged but it was obvious that it was profusely bleeding.

"There is one way to heal that wound of yours." Said Vio.

Vio then approached Harley and handed to her a piece of green leaf about the size of a palm.

"Uh…, what do I do with this?" asked Harley in confusion. "Do I apply this directly to my bleeding wound or what?"

"You eat that herb, Harley." Said Vio as a matter-of-fact.

"I… eat it?"

"Just do what she says, Harley." Bahus told Harley as assurance.

"Ookay then." Mumbled Harley as she put the leaf in her mouth and started chewing on it. "Mmm, a bit minty." She added before swallowing.

"Now look at your wound." Vio ordered Harley. "Take off the bandage."

And when Harley did so, not only was she but also the others got surprised with the results. Her wound closed up in an instant she consumed the herb.

"Whoa! That is some wonder herb, Vio." Said Harley in amazement.

"Isn't that Healing herb?" asked Little Rain.

"Yes it is." Vio told her. "And the three of us will be dependent on these herbs when we get injured."

"Huh?"

"What did you mean by that, miss Vio?" asked Little Rain.

"Well, how should I put it?" Vio started. "Harley and Nitroplus here… are now infected by the FL-Virus."

"FL-Virus?" asked Harley.

"That sounds like something sinister." Said Nitroplus.

"Sinister indeed." Vio agreed. "For if you two were found incompatible by the virus, the both of you will end up as one of the undead."

"What?!" shouted the two in unison.

"Actually, you two and me, can already be classified as one of the undead." Vio admitted to them.

And sure enough, everyone in the room, except for Vio and Vert, got the surprise of their lives.

"I-impossible…." Said Nitroplus in disbelief.

"S-so what we're like… zombies now?" Harley uttered in shock.

"Kind of." Answered Vio calmly. "But unlike those mindless critters, the three of us have our sanity and personality intact. And… we also stop aging after getting infected."

"How is that possible?" asked Bahus.

"The FL-Virus was originally made by now extinct Parasol Corp. to make an individual become ageless." Vio explained. "But it turns out, their specimen didn't work like they intended it to do. Sure it prevents cell aging but before it can do that, the virus seems to need to kill the host first before reanimating the body by reactivating each individual cells. But in some cases, when the virus finds the host incompatible, it only reactivates the part of the brain that controls motor functions and instincts. That is when the virus creates an undead being. A mindless, instinct-filled individual that knows nothing but to devour living flesh so that it can sustain its dead body to prevent itself from rotting."

"But how do you know if one is compatible or not?" asked Bahus.

"That I do not know yet." Answered Vio. "To be honest, I was only praying for luck that these two are compatible with the virus."

"You said you are infected by this virus as well, Vio." Nitroplus started. "When did that happened?"

"It happened during the war of the deities." Vio told her. "Parasol Corp. was still active back then and I was one of the captured people that they will use to experiment on."

Vio then wrapped her arms around herself as she recalls those bitter memories of her experience with Parasol Corp. "It was a scary experience…, being trapped in one of their holding cells."

"It especially scared the hell out of me when they suddenly dragged me out of my cell and into their operating rooms." Vio continued on. "The way they strapped me into their operating bed, making sure I wasn't able to struggle free. Then before I knew it, they injected me with the virus. And no matter how scared I was, it didn't prevent me from feeling the sudden surge of weakness within my body. And slowly but surely, I lost consciousness."

"That was quite the experience you got there, Vio." Said Bahus, feeling sorry for her. "So how did you find out about taking care of yourself in that condition?"

"Well, with some sort of luck, I found one of the scientists' notes regarding on how a stable infected like me should maintain my body from degradation." Vio answered. "Because, technically, the bodies of us stable infected are really dead right now. So when we get injured, it doesn't heal because it seems that the virus was only programmed to make the body functional regardless of any damages the body sustained. And it is the virus that keeps our body from quickly degrading."

"But how are our bodies technically dead?" questioned Harley.

"I found out about this when I got shot by a bullet straight to my chest." Vio replied as she pointed out the place in her chest where she got shot.

"You got shot in the heart and you still lived on, General…?" said a bewildered Compile.

"Yup. Even that surprised me too." Vio answered.

"So, how do we sustain ourselves after this…?" Nitroplus asked.

"We just keep eating, that's all." Replied Vio casually. "As we eat, the virus supplies our bodies with the nutrition from the food so that it prevents our cells from degrading and dying completely. So we just eat like we normally do."

"And what about the Healing herbs?" inquired Harley.

"As we all know, Healing herbs work on every individual." Explained Vio. "But for us infected, it is our only way to heal our injuries. No matter what medicine we use, it will not have any effect on us. So like I said earlier, we are deeply dependent on this plant."

"It is a good thing that Healing herbs are quite abundant all around Gamindustri." Vert spoke for the first time ever since the two woke up.

"Indeed." Vio agreed. "From what I have learned from the notes, the extracts of the Healing herb somewhat forces the cells of our bodies to mend itself of any breaches. So I guess it was good enough that the most abundant plant around gamindustri is our healing tool."

"So… I have become a being that nearly crosses the boundaries between life and death." Uttered Nitroplus sadly.

"Not to worry, Nitro." Said Vio assuringly. "If I were able to last long like this, then so will the both of you. Just live your usual lives. Eat well, live well. But just keep some herbs handy in case you get injured."

"Well, I don't mind being like this." Said Harley cheerfully as she stood up from her sickbed and stretched her body, much to Compile's protesting words which she just ignored. "I don't really feel any different than before. And besides, being ageless now is quite a plus."

"But there is one thing we should be careful of." Warned Vio. "Because according to the notes, we shouldn't get our brains receive any forms of damage. If that happens, we die."

"Now I think we've definitely became zombies now." Said Harley sarcastically.

"Parasol Corp. thought that they were finally able to defy death using their intelligence in the field of science…." Muttered Little Rain.

"But it turns out that their age-preventing stunt only puts death closer…." Nitroplus continued. "And I am one of those who is facing death no matter where I go."

"Hush now, Nitroplus." Said Little Rain. "As long as you look after yourself, you will live on like what miss Vio told us. You can live forever…."

"Well, a zombie or not, I'm gonna continue doing what I intend to do." Said Harley casually. "But for now, I'm gonna grab something to eat. So…, see ya guys later." As she said this, she proceeded to leave the infirmary without even changing her clothes from a hospital gown.

"Hey, Harley, at least change your clothes for Celestia's sake!" sweared Bahus as he goes after Harley.

As for Nitroplus, she just lied back down to her bed telling them that she'll just sleep for a while.

"So…, your secret got revealed all of a sudden, huh Vio." Vert said to her friend as she cradles a sleeping little girl in her arms.

"Well it was bound to get revealed anyway." Vio replied. "But I didn't expect it to get revealed this way."

"Well as long as they follow your advice, they should be able to live normally like you do, miss Vio." Said Little Rain optimistically.

"Well, I need to go check on the conditions of the battlefield now." Announced Vert as she makes her way towards Compile to give Yuu to her. "Please take care of her as usual, Nurse Compile."

"I will do so, Lady Vert." Compile replied as she carries the little girl in her arms.

"And I really want to know what that Sherman guy intends after infecting Harley and Nitroplus." Said Vio with a conviction.

And as Vert and Vio was about to leave….

"Uhm…, miss Vio…" Little Rain called out to her.

"Hmm? What is it?" Asked Vio as she stopped at her tracks.

"What does the FL mean in the virus' name?"

"Hmm…" hummed Vio as she thinks about it. "…. It is False Life."

"False Life, huh." Repeated Little Rain.

"The name fits, doesn't it?" asked Vio.

"Why do you think so, General…?" asked Compile.

But before Vio answered, she let out a long sigh.

"I stopped aging five years ago. Doesn't that make you think that I've already died five years ago?"

"General…." Mumbled Compile.

"Because I may be alive now…, but in actual… I'm really dead. Doesn't that count as a False Life?" she ended her words with a smile.

To be continued….


	8. Chapter 8 - Marianna

Chapter 8 – Marianna

The Eastern Continent… unlike its western counterpart, this continent is much richer but due to civil strifes and regional conflict, it never prospered. But one region in the eastern continent stands tall in order to achieve prosperity not just for their region, but of the entire continent. That region is the City of Dorfa, a city near the west coastline of the Eastern continent. The sole city of the Eastern continent that actively does social contributions to other regions of the east. They also manage one of the east's well known orphanage. But Dorfa has one ambition that it tries its best to achieve. Its ambition… to rise up as the most powerful city in the entire eastern continent.

"And once that ambition is achieved, Dorfa will then move to unite the Eastern continent." Said a young man wearing white clothing. "Isn't that right, sir?"

"Indeed." Said a person facing away who the young man was talking to. The man stands tall, with a serious face. His grey, messy hair, proves he experiences extreme stress levels. He wears a white trench coat with black trimming and a high collar that folds back down to his shoulders. He wears a purple scarf underneath his middle layer white and black jacket; a belt fastens his white pants to his waist. "But I did not called you here in my office to discuss about my City's ambition. But I called for you here to discuss about… your recent actions, "Mr. Shallancer."

"Is that so?" said Sherman calmly. "But I believe that my actions will not affect Dorfa's goals, sir. As a matter of fact, it could benefit to our cause."

The tall man then turned to face Sherman with an even more serious look. "I get your point, Mr. Shallancer. Involving soldiers from a world power can make things complicated, however. You even used the FL-Virus of the now non-existient Parasol Corp. on two of them. I just sure hope that your actions doesn't affect our city."

"You have nothing to fear, General." Said Sherman assuringly. "Now that the virus flows within three of their finest warriors, their life span in battle will now be even more sufficient enough to make them… last longer in battle."

"Three?" asked the tall man with slight confusion. "But did you not used only two samples of the FL-Virus?"

"Yes, I only used two." Answered Sherman. "The reason for that is because one of them is already a virus carrier prior to Leanbox's arrival on the west continent."

"I see." Said the tall man. "That person must be one of Parasol Corporation's test subject who survived the experimentation."

"Yes, that is true." Sherman agreed. "The standing general of the Leanbox forces is no different from… _her_."

"Yes, _her_." Repeated the tall man. "Not to mention yourself as well, Mr. Shallancer." He added before going silent for a moment. This remark only made Sherman smile a bit.

"And you might have heard, general, that forces of ASIC are now starting on making a move towards the Eastern continent." Sherman mentioned, breaking the spell of silence around the small office.

"Yes, I have heard of it." Replied the tall man. "And Dorfa is in their line of fire, I believe."

"But they are mistaken if they think that they can enter the Eastern continent by infiltrating Dorfa." Said Sherman confidently. "Our city may be small, but we are more than capable of preventing them from stepping into this land."

"And I will see to it that they do not put even the slightest step here, general." Sherman added.

"No, you will stay put here, Mr. Shallancer." Ordered the tall man. "You will keep your ground here at Dorfa. I shall send _her_ to fend of the infiltrating force."

"I see." Muttered Sherman with no objection. "Very well, then."

"Were you able to tell how vast is this infiltrating force coming our way, Mr. Shallancer?" asked the tall man.

"According to my companion Ryushin, there is about an estimate of two hundred enemy soldiers coming our way." Answered Sherman.

"Then she will be sufficient enough to fend them off." Concluded the tall man.

"So, shall I call for her?" asked Sherman.

"Yes. Please do."replied the man in a business-like tone.

"Then I shall take my leave, General Hanagata." Sherman said before turning around towards the door of the office to leave.

By then, man named Hanagata turned around to face his office window once more to see the scenery before it. "No matter how strong the enemies are, I will make sure that Dorfa will never falter and fall. I don't care what methods I use, as long as it's for the benefit of this city that I struggled to build." He mumbled to himself.

* * *

As Sherman proceeds to leave the city's Main Hall, he stopped for a moment to wonder of the possible place where the person he is looking for could place herself be.

"I think you know the answer to that already." Said Ryushin as he appears beside Sherman.

"Hahahaha. I guess it is quite unlike me to not know where she could be." Replied Sherman jokingly. And so they headed to that location.

The place – the four-story, square building that is the Orphanage that the government of Dorfa directly manages, located just north of the city near its grassy plains. And when they went in its gates, Sherman and Ryushin were immediately met by a plump, old woman wearing long white robes. This woman is the head governess of the orphanage.

"Oh, Mr. Shallancer. Good day to you." Greeted the old woman. "Are you here for her?"

"Ahaha. You now know fully well what I intend to do, madam." Replied Sherman comically.

"Well, every time you visit here its all about picking her up." Said the old woman with a smile.

"True that." Sherman stated. "General Hanagata seeks to talk with her, madam. It is an urgent business."

"Oh dear. Is there something about to happen here at Dorfa?" said the old woman, unable to hide the sound of worry from her words.

"Do not worry, madam. Nothing is going to happen here at Dorfa. It is just something that concerns _her_." Replied Sherman, making sure not to say anything that can heighten the old woman's worries.

"Oh, I see." Sighed the old woman. "Well, come with me. I'll lead you to where she is."

"Appreciated, madam." Sherman acknowledged before asking Ryushin to turn into a sword as to not attract the children's attention for seeing a life size robot like him.

The old governess lead them just by the lobby of the orphanage, where lot of children were gathered around someone. When Sherman and the governess got near, they saw the person they were looking for, surrounded by the orphans as that person plays a gold-colored harp for them. And the sound it produces is very calming to the feeling, like being sent into quite a peaceful place. The girl Sherman was seeking was quite a beauty to behold. The girl has pale skin with bright gold colored eyes and long, pale colored hair with a single braid going on top of her head, somewhat like a headband. To the side of her head rests a dark colored flower with indigo leaves surrounding it. She wears a low-cut, dark colored gothic dress with frills placed below the sleeves of each arm and at the skirt. She also wears matching gloves with loose cuffs, and a black string tied around her neck with a bow.

And as the girl finished playing the harp, the children surrounding her either clapped out loud in unison or approached her and asking to play some more, which she only responded by patting the children's heads comfortably or smiling at them.

"You made quite an excellent performance in playing the harp for the children once again." Sherman said calmly, calling the attention of the girl.

"Sherman…." Mumbled the girl.

"Good day to you…, Marianna." Sherman replied. "The general asks for your presence in his office."

The girl named Marianna gave it some thoughts first before replying. "Very well."

"What? Big sis Marianna is leaving already?" said one of the children.

"We want to play with you more…." said another sadly.

"I am sorry, children. But I must go for now." Marianna said to the orphans calmly with a smile. "But not to worry, I shall return here tomorrow and play with you once more."

This reply made the children around her cheer for hearing that Marianna will visit them tomorrow some more.

"So, shall we?" asked Sherman.

"Let us go, then." Replied Marianna.

* * *

Back at the City Hall, in General Hanagata's office….

"General," Sherman started. "Marianna is here with me now."

"Good." Replied Hanagata as he stood up from his chair behind his office desk.

"How can I be of service, General Hanagata?" Marianna asked politely while she bows down to the general in respect.

"I want you to stop the advance of the new terrorist group called ASIC, Marianna." Replied Hanagata straight to the point.

"So, they have made a move towards the Eastern continent." Marianna mentioned coldly. "They're not satisfied with just ravaging the west continent, huh."

"A possibility for this move of theirs towards our continent is maybe due to the Southern continent forces pushing them into a cornered state." Sherman interjects.

"Yes, I've heard about the nation of Leanbox assisting the western continent." Replied Marianna before staring down in silence.

"Missed your homeland?" Sherman mentioned with slight cockiness in his voice.

"No. Not at all." answered Marianna very coldly this time. "I just remembered… that person."

"That person, huh." Repeated Sherman.

And all of a sudden, Marianna's hands started trembling, and from her facial expression, she trembles not in fear but in anger.

"It's her fault after all…." Marianna started saying with trembling voice. And suddenly, a sort of faint dark aura started emanating from her body. "Her fault that I… I turned into this…this half dead human that relies too much on a plant just to heal my injuries!"

"Calm down, Marianna." Commanded Hanagata.

"I… I apologize for losing my composure, general." She said while bowing down apologetically, the dark aura around her fading immediately.

"Marianna, you and Shallancer here are currently Dorfa's most powerful warriors." Hanagata started. "And I expect you two to defend and protect Dorfa with all your powers. So I ask of you to set aside personal grudges for now until this threat that slowly approaches is dealt with at all cost."

"A-as you command, General Hanagata." Marianna answered. "And I will make sure that all Furies that I am able to gather will be turned over to Dorfa for proper use."

"Very good, Marianna." Replied Hanagata. "Now, go."

"Yes, general." Marianna said before heading out of the office followed by Sherman.

"Look on the bright side, Marianna…," Sherman started while walking alongside her. "…in your – or should I say our condition, the only thing we'll have worry about are physical injuries. Conditions like sickness and poison will no longer affect us."

"Be quiet, you." Muttered Marianna with irritation in her tone. "If you can stomach living as a half dead person, I don't. Living a false life feels like a nightmare to me. Imagine, I have to consume Healing herbs every time I get injured. Not to mention that I have to be kept well fed just to keep my mind from going insane."

"Well, what is wrong with eating. Its not like you'll get fat now." Teased Sherman. "And as for Healing herbs, our stash is compact into small capsules so that we are able to consume one when the need arrives."

"Tch…just shut up!" roared Marianna.

When they reached the exit of City Hall…

"Well, may good luck be with you, lady Marianna." Sherman cheered to her.

But Marianna just ignored him and proceeded to summon her weapon. "Khalara, materialize."

With those words, dark aura formed in Marianna's right hand before forming into a double-edged black, long sword with a dark violet blade that has a distinctive glow in it.

"And then…, _Fairize!_ "

After saying the word, she threw away her sword upwards. And after a very short while, the sword came landing towards Marianna, impaling her in the body. But instead of getting injured, it seemed that she fused with the sword as she glows a violet color. When the glow slowly faded away, it reveals Marianna once again holding her sword once again. But what was noticeable now was above her clothing, she now dons some sort of armor around her head and lower arms. What's more is that there seems to be a machine-like circular wing behind her back while some sort of side armors are floating on both sides of her waist.

"Not gonna waste time, huh." Muttered Sherman. "Going all out from the start."

"I'm going now." She said before flying towards the vast sea where the enemy will come approaching.

* * *

As she flies by, memories keep popping inside Marianna's mind. Memories…that still haunts her up to this day.

 _Marianna was struggling…fighting off someone holding her down in a dark alleyway of a place she cannot recall where. And in her sight was another girl about her age, watching what is happening to her in fear. And as the other girl spotted another one of the captors,she slowly started walking back, away from Marianna._

" _Wait…don't leave me, please!_ "

" _Quick! Grab the other one!" yelled Marianna's captor, ordering his fellow man._

" _I – I'm sorry…. I'm sorry, Marianna! Forgive me!" cried the other girl as she turns around and runs away from the other man._

" _No don't leave me, please! Help me!" cried Marianna as she keeps struggling. But the other girl slowly goes away from Marianna's field of view. "You told me that you wouldn't leave me! You promised that you will take me to safety with you! Please come back!"_

" _Hold still, you brat!" yelled her captor as she suddenly gets dragged away._

" _No! Please I don't want to die yet! Please! Anyone help me!" Marianna yelled on in terror._

" _Why did you leave me behind?!"_

" _MISS GHEYTZ PLEASE COME BAAAACCKK!"_

*GASP!*

When Marianna came to her senses, she saw that she was about to crash land on the seawater.

"Gaah!" she yelled before correcting her flight in time before touching the water.

"Tch…" she breathes as she shakes off the memory away from her mind.

And as she looked ahead, she saw the enemy vessels approaching her way.

"Aha…" she muttered as she flies faster towards the enemy fleet, sword ready in her hand.

And as she approaches them, the enemy front lines started firing their weapons at her, ranging from rifles to RPGs. This made Marianna increase her altitude to get away from the enemy barrage. When she got into a somewhat safe altitude, she noticed that she got hit by a bullet in her stomach and was bleeding profusely.

"Tch… if I were still a normal human, I would've felt that and die in no time." She muttered to herself before taking out a Healing herb capsule from a small container in her pocket which she puts in her mouth and swallowed immediately. And the effect was almost immediate as her wound closes up after taking the medicine. But she almost got hit again by another bullet when the enemy focused their long ranged weapons to fire at her.

"Improvised water transports, I understand. But high caliber weapons? No, even standard caliber weapons? Who is funding these a-holes?" she wondered to herself as she dodges the fire from the enemy's long range weapons. As she does so, she builds up a strategy on how to eliminate a fleet of at least two hundred enemy soldiers.

"Got it." She concluded before stopping in midair and raising her hand, creating a small violet colored magic circle on her palm. Slowly, dark clouds gather in the sky on top of Marianna and the winds suddenly blow stronger, creating waves on the surface of the sea rocking the enemy vessels.

"Perish all of you! _Thunderstorm!_ " yelled Marianna.

Suddenly from the dark clouds, lightning bolts start shooting down on the sea's surface, hitting some of the enemy vessels, exploding upon strike. However, strong as it may be, accuracy wasn't its best features as only some vessels were hit with a lot more still steadily sailing.

"Damn… I should really learn on how to make this attack more accurate. And it even consumes a lot of my powers." She cursed herself.

 _ ***BANG!***_

"Gaahh!"

Being steady for a moment made Marianna an easy target for the enemy. Fortunately due to strong winds, the bullet got diverted away from her most critical part of her body. However, it did hit her left earlobe, making the left side of her head bloody.

"Damn it…..CURSE ALL OF YOU! _Cyclone!_ " she yelled as she produces a cyclone which made contact on sea's surface, creating a larger water funnel.

As the cyclone passes through, the enemy vessels were no match for the strong winds and they got thrown away, ejecting its passengers.

"HAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

As for Marianna, she slashes down every enemy soldier that got thrown out by the cyclone.

"DIE!"

As she slashes away all airborne enemies, the ones either floating over the sea or still on an intact vessel can only watch in horror as their comrades get butchered in midair.

And as bodies (and body parts) rain down, Marianna looked down on the remaining enemy units with rage in her eyes. "Time to end this nonsense…." And she dived down towards them, not caring if she gets hit by enemy fire as long as she doesn't get her head hit, and slashed away all remaining enemy forces.

And a few minutes later, the part of the sea where Marianna did her onslaught became a pool of blood. She is not minding her injuries at all as she looks down at the bloodbath that she created using the enemy soldiers' blood and chopped down body parts.

"And that is done. Time to heal up…." She muttered as she grabs another herb capsule and pops it in her mouth, but seeing as it didn't fully healed her, she gets another capsule and popped it in, fully healing her injuries. And when the adrenaline in her subsided… "Tch…. I used too much of the Fury's powers. I need to take a break for a while." She said to herself.

Seeing that she is much nearer to the coastline of the western continent than that of the eastern one, she decided to fly over there to rest and recover her powers.

When she drew near, she decided to take shelter in the woods as to conceal herself from any possible encounter with a local westerner. When she got there, she landed through tall trees and settled on a boulder near by to sit, revert to her normal form, and rest. However, before she could even settle in properly….

 _ ***BOOM!***_

"Kyaaaaahh!"

Her scream would have been hilarious to Sherman if he heard it as Marianna got surprised by a sudden explosion just near her location.

"Where the heck did I landed in to?" she screamed as she hears gunfire from a distance.

Turns out, she got caught in the crossfire between ASIC and Leanbox forces which just currently started the conflict in that area.

"What rotten luck!" she groans to herself loudly. As much as she wants to fly away, she can't due to having insufficient amounts of magic powers on her Fury. She then just decided to sneak out of the woods and make sure she doesn't cross paths with either forces. "It's not gonna be easy but I'll try…." She mumbled to herself.

And when she got up from her seat however…,

"Hold it!"

When she looked at the source, she found who obviously is an ASIC soldier pointing a rifle just a few feet away from her.

"Tch…"

Having insufficient powers, she had no choice but raise her hands and surrender.

"Now...die!" declared the ASIC soldier as he loads a bullet in his rifle.

But Marianna doesn't seem to mind, however, as she saw that the rifle was not pointed at her head but on her body instead. "Meh, I'll just pretend to die when he fires at me." She thought in her mind as she closes her eyes to brace for the shot. She does wish however that the enemy doesn't make sure she's dead by firing another shot at her in the head.

"Gaaakk!"

When Marianna opened her eyes to see what caused that sound, she saw to her surprise that the soldier was impaled in the body by a large spear, which magically evaporated before the impaled soldier falls down and die.

"Are you alright, miss?" called by someone above Marianna.

When she looked up, she saw Green Heart landing down near her location.

"Yes, I am fine. Thank you for saving me." Replied Marianna as Green Heart made contact on land with her feet.

"I'm glad you are." Said Green Heart as she approaches Marianna. "But this place is dangerous so-" she stopped dead on her tracks, however as she got a good glimpse of Marianna. Green Heart somewhat felt shocked after seeing her face.

"Uh…have we met before?" asked Marianna in confusion. "I don't think I've met the CPU of Leanbox before until now."

"M-Marianna…?!" yelled Green Heart in surprise.

To be continued….


	9. Chapter 9 - Caught in the Crossfire

Chapter 9 – Caught in the Crossfire

"M-Marianna?!" yelled Green Heart in surprise as the ongoing battle in the background echoes within the woods.

"Uh..yes, that is my name." replied Marianna while confused. "But how did you know my name?"

Green Heart was about to approach Marianna when…

"There you are."

And as Green Heart turned around, she was able to parry a sudden attack from a woman who wields a scythe. "As expected from a CPU. Quite fast reflexes."

Turns out that this woman was the same woman Green Heart encountered when she met little Yuu.

"Heh. I was expecting you to appear here." Replied Green Heart with a grin while trying her best to repel the woman's attack. "And I haven't got the chance to get your name. Care to…introduce yourself." Green Heart added sarcastically.

"Want to get acquainted, I see." Said the pink-haired woman. But before she answered, she took a glance at Marianna from behind Green Heart. When Marianna noticed, she could only flinch at the sight of the woman's intimidating yellow eye while her right eye was covered in some sort of eye patch.

"Hmpf." Breathed out the woman before breaking away from combat with Green Heart and landed just a few feet away from her. She then flicked her long hair which are worn up in pigtails before uttering words in a monotone. "I am called Magic. I embody the desire of the Legion's leader to spread the ideals and words of our beloved Goddess Arfoire to the entirety of Gamindustri. And I also embody ASIC, Arfoire's Syndicate of International Crime."

"So you are the leader of this group." Declared Green Heart. "And quite a fitting name for a group, for you are nothing but terrorists and pirates altogether!"

"All done for the sake of reviving our beloved Goddess who will in turn revive our true leader." Magic replied in her usual monotone voice while preparing to attack once more. "All those who wishes to worship and follow her, we accept with open arms. And those who oppose or disgraces our Goddess are eliminated from existence with no hesitation. We do not tolerate infidels and other infidelity towards our Goddess Arfoire."

"Sorry, but your goddess has no room here in Gamindustri." Green Heart retorted back before making a dash towards Magic to attack her with her spear, which Magic quickly parried.

"And we don't plan on giving up against you, CPU." Said Magic calmly before kicking Green Heart in the body to break away from her and fly up.

"Tch…you are not getting away this time!" shouted Green Heart after immediately recovering from the kick.

"Who says I'm running away?" said Magic sarcastically before she surrounding her weapon with dark energy and made a slashing movement in the air with her scythe. And almost instantly, the ground between Green Heart and Marianna got sliced open before exploding. It took Green Heart by surprised while Marianna, being nearest to the attack, got thrown away by the explosion.

"Marianna! No!" yelled Green Heart.

" _*Cough, cough*_ , I'm fine." Replied Marianna within the smoke from the explosion. "A bit shaken, but fine."

"Oops. Did I hit your friend instead?" said Magic with sarcasm. "I deeply apologize for it was unintentional."

But for Green Heart, Magic's words were clear that what she did was intentional. She intends to inflict harm on Marianna.

"Why you…!" sweared Green Heart as she dashed up towards Magic and engaged her in a spear – scythe combat.

"I can see the fury in your eyes, CPU." Muttered Magic as she exchanged blows with Green Heart.

"Marianna, run away while I hold her off!" Green Heart yelled at Marianna while fighting off Magic.

"I…okay, I will!" replied Marianna. " _If only I didn't went all out in using Khalara earlier, I could assist her in this battle._ " She thought to herself. However, as she backs away to run…

"Do not move. If you value your life, remain stationary."

Startled by this, Marianna slowly turned around to see who is threatening her this time. When she looked, she was greeted by a large, flaming sword pointed at her. And when she looked up further, she saw that the large sword is being carried by a giant robot that seemed to look like an oversized children's toy robot, complete with gun-metal colored wings that looked like it came from a jet plane.

"I do not wish to harm an innocent person who only got caught in the middle of a crossfire." Said the multi-colored robot to Marianna. "But I must offer to you that you should join our cause. Be a follower of our great Goddess Arfoire and be assured a life free from restrictions."

"Huh? Are you serious?" uttered Marianna in confusion.

"Yes. However, if you refuse, I will be forced to eliminate you." Warned the robot. "As much as possible, I do not wish to dispose any life from anyone, so I offer them to join us so as not to waste their lives."

"Hmph… you truly are a valiant being, Brave." Muttered Magic while still exchanging weapon blows with Green Heart. And when Green Heart looked down to see who Magic was referring to, she saw Marianna being threatened by the giant robot.

"Marianna!" Green Heart was about to dive in and help but Magic attacked her once again to prevent her from moving away.

"Where are you going? I'm your opponent, CPU." Said Magic as she pushes her scythe blade harder on Green Heart's spear.

"I have to help her! Get away from me!" argued Green Heart. " _Sikkim Bind!_ " Green Heart created a whirlwind to surround her and Magic.

Hehehehe. Is this all you've got to throw at me, CPU?" laughed Magic.

"Heh. Of course not."

Green Heart added more strength to the whirlwind surrounding the both of them. Magic tried to maintain contact with Green Heart but it was no use and she got thrown away. And as that happens…

" _In-between Spear!_ "

Green Heart summoned multiple spears from her magic circles and fired all of them towards Magic who was still hurtling away because of the whirlwind.

"Hmph."

Magic stopped herself from going any further and repelled all of the incoming spears. However, she failed to notice the spear made from energy that appeared in-between the repelled spears and it came hurtling towards her.

* _ **BOOOM!**_ *

It was a direct hit. And the attack made Magic hurtle toward the trees below in an uncontrollable dive.

"Good riddance." Breathed out Green Heart before looking down to find Marianna. And there she saw her backing away from the robot. It seemed the robot is about to attack Marianna.

"Not good.… _Sylhet Spe-_ "

 _ ***BOOM!***_

"Gaaahh!" yelled Green Heart in pain as an unexpected wave of dark energy hit her at the back and exploding on impact. When she looked back, she saw Magic in the air again, damaged from her spear attack but seemed unfazed by her damage taken

"Please don't make me jealous, CPU." Muttered Magic in a monotone. "I told you, I am your opponent. And you only look into me and to no one else."

"Tch." Breathed out Green Heart as she endures the pain on her back caused by Magic's attack on her. " _Darn it. I can't get to Marianna._ " Green Heart thought in her mind. " _I have to save her. But how do I do that if this woman keeps me occupied? I don't want Marianna to experience that again. I don't want to abandon her again! So please, anyone, save her. Save her for me!"_

* * *

Meanwhile, down below…

"So, you refuse to join our cause then?" declared Brave as he slowly approaches Marianna, with flaming sword in hand.

"Why would I join your twisted cause anyway?!" yelled Marianna. " _Not good. If only Khalara had enough powers, I could fight this guy with no problems._ " She thought.

"I see. I was hoping that I can convince you. That is too bad." Concluded Brave. "You are the same as the others. Nothing but infidels who thinks lowly of our goddess. And so to my deepest regret, I must end your life here."

"Tch." Breathed out Marianna as she prepares herself to dodge the enemy's attack.

"This will be swift." Declared Brave as he swings his burning sword towards Marianna with great agility.

 _ ***CRASH!***_

The sword hit the ground. Fast the attack may be, Marianna was lucky enough to be able to jump back away from the attack.

"Gaaaaah!" But the end of her dress got caught on fire from the sword. It took her a couple of seconds to turn off the fire on her dress using only her hands.

"Hmph. You have quite the agility, after all." Brave noticed. "You are no ordinary woman in distress."

"Grr…you ruined my dress." Muttered Marianna in frustration.

"Isn't it already ruined thanks to all that dirt and…blood?" Brave can't help but mention.

"Those can be easily removed, but now you burned it! Uuugghh!" yelled out Marianna, unable to contain her frustration.

"But you won't need to worry about that once I've taken away your life." Brave mentioned before swinging his sword once more towards Marianna.

For minutes, all Marianna could do is dodge against Brave's attacks. Hiding behind trees and rocks within the woods didn't seem to help because Brave's sword could easily break and slice through any obstacles. And as her struggle continues on, she grows tired.

" _Curse this. I'm already a half-dead human and yet I still get tired?!_ " she thought in frustration as she hides behind a thick rock to catch her breath. " _But just a few more. A few more time and I can use my Fury again._ "

 _ ***CRASH!***_

"Gaaaahhh!" yelled Marianna as she got thrown away after Brave smashed the rock where she was hiding.

"It is end of the line for you, human." Declared Brave as he closes in to deliver the final blow to a fallen Marianna. Then slowly, he raised his sword to strike her down.

"Tch." She breathed out before closing her eyes to brace for impact. " _I just hope this half-dead body of mine could survive this attack…._ " She thought in her mind.

"Hiiyyyaaaaaahh!"

 _ ***BOOM!***_

"Aaaaarrrrggghhh!"

"Huh?" Marianna wondered what happened. And when she opened her eyes, she saw Brave holding on to his face which was smoking. And even though he looked like a full-blown machine, it seemed that the damage he got hurt him.

And moments later, a person landed just in front of Marianna. And when she looked up, she saw that it was a blue-haired girl wearing a black jacket and that she wields a red bladed sword on her right hand and a silver handgun with a bayonet on her left hand.

"You okay, miss?" asked the girl to Marianna.

"Uhm…yeah. A bit shaken but I'm alright." Marianna replied before standing up.

"Good to hear." Said the other girl.

"Are…are you one of the warriors of Leanbox?" asked Marianna.

"Somewhat." Replied the girl. "I was about to back up Lady Green Heart in her battle but she asked me to go and look for you instead. I'm glad I made it in time."

"I see…. A warrior from the enemy force arrives…." Grunted Brave as he gains his composure once again to prepare for battle. "With you, I have nothing to hold back on."

"Oh, by the way," the girl started as she looked back at Marianna. "the name is Nitroplus. Nice to meet you, miss Marianna."

"Wait, you know my-" but she didn't continued what she was about to ask because she already guessed where Nitroplus got to know her name.

"Now then," Nitroplus started."En garde, mister robot."

"With pleasure." Replied Brave.

And with that, Nitroplus and Brave engaged in a sword fight, with both wielding flaming swords. However, Marianna couldn't help but feel ashamed to herself. In her mind, she could easily deal with Brave had she not exhausted all of the powers of her Fury. " _But how should I know that the place I've landed into will be their battlefield?_ " she thought to herself. For now while she wait for her powers to replenish to usable levels, she can only watch Nitroplus go head to head with the enemy who is thrice as big as Nitroplus. But in turn, Marianna can't help but admire the way Nitroplus fights. Brave may be agile for his size, but it was still no match for Nitroplus' smaller form and better agility. All Nitroplus did was do some short slashes with her red sword on Brave while avoiding his sword slashes or the waves of flame he creates. Then after doing those short slashes, Nitroplus distances herself from the enemy and starts firing her handgun at him, much to Brave's annoyance.

"Aaaagghh! Fight me with your sword if you truly are a warrior!" argued Brave as he struggles to avoid Nitroplus' hit-run-hit-with-ranged technique.

"And as you wish." Replied Nitroplus. As she did so, she ignited her red bladed sword and made sure that the flames it produced were big enough to deal huge damage. And it seemed that Marianna noticed the characteristics of Nitroplus' weapon.

"Wait, are you a Fencer?" she asked to Nitroplus.

"So you noticed. Yes, I am a Fencer and I wield this elemental Fury which I named Raw Meat." Replied Nitroplus.

"R-raw Meat?"

"Yeah. Because it is as red as fresh meat."

"I-I see." Was all Marianna could say, not bothering to argue as to why Nitroplus named her Fury of such.

"Are you two done talking?" interjected Brave.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Replied Nitroplus casually. "And now…taste the power of my noble sword! Hiyyyaaaahh!"

"Ghhhh…!" Brave may have parried the attack, but Marianna could tell that Nitroplus' attack made quite an impact on Brave for he got shoved back by at least two or three feet away from where he originally stood.

"I am also a fire elemental, just so you know." Brave informed Nitroplus as their weapons crossed. "You did noticed that how most if your attacks do not harm me so much."

"Oh, I am quite aware of that." Replied Nitroplus. And as their weapons are still crossed, she lets go of one hand from her sword, pulled out her gun and started rapid firing at Brave's body.

"Aarrrrggh!" yelled Brave as the attack from her gun inflicted some damage on his body. "You…you're quite a deceiving fighter."

"Meh, all the more to defeat you quickly." Said Nitroplus. "Now let-"

But before she could complete her words, Brave suddenly made a dash and attacked her with rapid sword strikes. Fortunately, Nitroplus was in a stance where she was able to easily parry the attack. But Brave didn't settled for strikes, he is bashing Nitroplus' defense with his burning sword with rapid succession.

"Enough of your tricks!" yelled Brave as he swings his sword upwards, making contact with Nitroplus' defense. The impact was so great that it lifted Nitroplus from her feet and stumbled her down the ground.

And before Nitroplus could get up, Brave stomped her down with his huge robotic feet. Fortunately, Nitroplus was able to stop Brave from crushing her by using Raw Meat to push away his feet. But in her current stance, she noticed that she is vulnerable to Brave's sword attack.

"Now, to end you once and for all." Concluded Brave as he raised his sword to strike it down on Nitroplus who was still underneath his feet.

"Now, time for you to pay for what you've done to me and my dress! _Discharge!"_

Suddenly and immediately, Brave got electrocuted on the spot.

"Aaaaarrrrrrrrrrggghh!" yelled Brave. It was obvious that the electric attack was very effective on him, enough for Nitroplus to easily push away Brave's feet.

And still smoking due to the electric attack, Brave slowly falls down with a large thud on impact to the ground like a tree that has been chopped down.

And when Nitroplus looked for the source of the electric attack, she saw Marianna with a magic circle on the palm of her stretched out left hand which was pointing at Brave's location. Nitroplus also saw that she was holding a long, black sword with a dark violet blade.

"So, you're a Fencer as well, huh." Nitroplus mentioned.

"Yeah, I am. Sorry it took me long to assist you." replied Marianna.

"It's alright. But why did it took you long to summon your Fury, may I ask anyway?"

"Well, I already did a battle of my own earlier before I got caught in this crossfire. And i…somehow went all out on the enemies. But can you blame me for going all out when I am fighting off a fleet of at least two hundred enemy soldiers coming towards our home?" explained Marianna.

"Y-you fought all of those by yourself?!" asked a flabbergasted Nitroplus.

"Yeah I did." Answered Marianna confidently. "It wasn't easy really. It did drained all of Khalara's powers so I decided to land here, because it is nearest, and rest. But I really never expected that this place would be your battlefield. I mean, everything was quiet until I settled in place and you and their side started firing on each other."

"Well…, apologies to you, I guess." Said Nitroplus.

"You seemed scratched up a bit, miss Nitroplus." Marianna noticed. "Why don't you rest up for a while before heading back in the battlefield?"

"Nah, I'm good. I can still fight with ease." Replied Nitroplus. "Well, shall we deal with this-"

Nitroplus stopped with her words because when she looked to find Brave, he was nowhere in sight. He like vanished into thin air.

"He's gone?!" said a confused Marianna. "But I didn't even see him move or leave."

"No worries. This has happened before on a different encounter." Explained Nitroplus. "It looks like they get recalled back to their base of operations once they get defeated. And it's a pretty convenient and annoying feat if you ask me."

"I see."

"Well, miss Marianna, you better retreat now while you still can. Especially now that you've regained some of your powers back." Nitroplus suggested.

"No, I think I'm gonna help you guys out for a while." Marianna concluded.

"Are you sure about your decision?"

"ASIC is my – no, our enemy as well. And fighting them here may assure that they are unable to step in to our homeland."

"From where are you from anyway, miss Marianna?" inquired Nitroplus.

"I'm from…the city of Dorfa, a city in the East continent."

"You're from the east, huh."

"Yes." Breathed out Marianna. "So..., gonna let me fight alongside you? I assure to you now that I've regained enough power to fight."

Nitroplus gave it some thought at first before arriving on a conclusion. "Very well, then. If you are sure that you can properly fight. We could use another Fencer to assist us."

"I will not be a burden like…earlier, that I assure you now." Said Marianna a bit embarrassingly.

"Okay then. Let us be off. Lady Green Heart might need our assistance. She is fighting against a formidable foe as we speak." Nitroplus mentioned.

"Okay. Let us go." Marianna agreed.

And as they set off towards the battlefield, a thought was running inside Marianna's head….

" _I wanna know how their CPU knew my name. And…, the CPU's voice. Why is it so…familiar to me? It's been bugging me ever since I met her so I must find out…straight from her._ "

To be continued….


	10. Chapter 10 - Don't Jinx It

Chapter 10 – Don't Jinx It

(This occurred during the events of Chapter 9 – Caught in the Crossfire.)

"Quite the strategy the enemies implemented, huh." Vio can't help but mutter as she sits down on a ledge within the forest to treat her wounds using a small, thin spray can that contains liquefied Healing herbs.

"Yeah. Imagine, their supposed 'boss' keeps Vert busy by meeting her forces away from any back up while we got preoccupied by…these tin cans." Sarcastically mentioned by Harley as she kicks down a broken, round shaped robot that resemble those machines that she encountered before with Bahus. "Quite a funny tactic, actually."

"Well I don't find it funny like you do, Harley." Sighed Vio as she finishes treating her wounds. "I'd rather face enemies that are organic, living or undead, than a bunch of inorganic enemies that shoots electrical discharges and laser beams. Robots are just too resilient. A single shot at them is not enough to take them down."

"Heh. I forgot that you indulge in giving your enemies some head shots, Vio." Said Harley amusingly.

"But I'm glad that you were able to pinpoint the robots' weak spots, Harley." Vio acknowledges. "You have quite the analytical skills."

"Well, I do more than just shoot aimlessly at the enemies, Vio. I, of course, try and analyze the enemy's weakness before I really start engaging the enemy with a gunfight. Heck, I'm a researcher so I have to have an exceptional analytical skills." Explained Harley. "I'm not saying that you're a trigger happy gunslinger, Vio. But I do advise that you should look before you shoot."

"Hehe. But you still said it, anyway." Sighed Vio with a smirk on her face. "No offense taken, though."

As they talk to each other, they can hear gunfights and explosions around the edges of the forest, obviously implying that their battle isn't over yet.

"Well, we are just taking advantage of this isolated moment of peace to treat our injuries." Implied Vio. She then noticed that Harley hasn't really patched herself up just yet. "You do remember that your wounds would only heal if you take Healing herbs, don't you?"

"Oh, I am fully aware of that." Replied Harley. "As a matter of fact, I customized my own way of consuming Healing herbs." She then pulled out a small zip-lock plastic bag out of her pocket. Inside, she picks up one piece of translucent capsule the size of an almond nut. "See? I made a concentrated liquid of Healing herbs and encased them using consumable soft gel capsules. Neat, huh."

"It is convenient, I give you that. But at least put them in a proper, safe container next time. That plastic sandwich bag seems easy to get teared off, you know. You might end up loosing your stash faster than you could consume them."

"Well I was in a hurry after you guys sounded the alarm earlier." Explained Harley as she consumes the capsule that she was holding. And almost immediately, her wounds healed instantaneously. "I only managed to grab hold of this plastic bag to keep these capsules stored."

"Anyway, we better get back to the battlefield and help my men against the remaining enemy forces." Concluded Vio as she checked her gun and belt bag for any more ammunition. But it seems that she found herself now short in ammunition. "Hey Harley, do you happen to have any .50-caliber bullets in there?"

"Sorry but I don't." answered Harley. "This Fury of mine doesn't require any bullets as it produces its own. But wait…." She then looked around her to see what she could scrounge for Vio to use. "Aha. I have an idea."

She then started to gather and disassemble a few robot carcasses and proceeded to assemble and wire up a few, still functioning parts.

"Uh…, what are you doing, Harley?" asked Vio out of curiosity.

But Harley only answered in one word as she continues to tinker with some of the robot parts. "Improvising."

"I see. But you better hurry, though. It seems the gunfight is drawing nearer and nearer this place. A sign that the enemy forces are able to push back my troops." Said Vio as she took a peek at top of the ledge.

"Almost there." Replied Harley. "I just need to connect these two batteries I got to this laser eye module of a robot."

" _Actually, this isn't the first time Harley improvised a device._ " Mentioned Bahus who talked from inside the Fury.

"Oh? What did she made before?" asked Vio.

" _A…trap for fairies._ " Answered Bahus a bit reluctantly.

"A trap for…fairies?" repeated Vio in confusion.

"Well…, rumors say that a fairy's power can enhance a Fury's capabilities." Muttered Harley as she tinkers on. "So I thought that I catch one and accommodate its powers to Bahus here to improve my Fury's firepower. Hehe."

"I…see."

* * *

After a few minutes, Harley was done with her tinkering. She then revealed some sort of laser pistol made out of a robot's laser eye module and two batteries all wired together to a makeshift handgun grip complete with a trigger. "Here you go, Vio. This is your backup armament, a lightweight, makeshift laser pistol. Careful with the trigger, though, it is very sensitive."

Vio then reached out for the improvised handgun and test fired it on the ground. And sure enough, it fired the laser beam with deadly precision and density like what it did when the robot it belongs to was still functional.

"I am very impressed, Harley. You did a wonderful job with this." Vio commended Harley's work.

"Well it pays to have a clever mind. Hehehe." Harley bragged.

"Anyway, we should go and assist my men up front. They may be struggling with the enemy forces as we speak." Concluded Vio as she holstered Harley's makeshift weapon to use her usual handguns. After all, it is gonna be her backup weapon when she fully runs out of bullets on her two handguns.

"Sure thing." Replied Harley as she prepares her Fury. "Who knows. Maybe the enemy decided to use 'organic' units this time."

"Ha ha. Very funny, Harley." Vio retorted back with a grin. "I just hope you don't jinx this one out like you did before."

But as they begun to move, they heard shouts from afar along with a couple of gun fires.

"Uh oh. Your troops seem to be in big trouble, Vio. We better help fast." Urged Harley.

"Yeah, no kidding." Replied Vio as they make a careful run towards the screams of pain.

But as they approach the location, they heard a very ominous sound that made them stop on their tracks. It was the sound of a dog or wolf howling.

"Wait…, there are wolves in this forest?" Vio asked Harley.

"Beats me. Me and Bahus weren't able to fully do a recon in this place, remember." Answered Harley.

And sure enough, they started to hear some galloping sounds just ahead of them. And just a few seconds, the two of them spotted the culprits. There a couple of feet away from them is a pack of eight wild dogs rapidly approaching them. And they look hungry for meat.

"Uh oh. They don't look friendly at all." Vio muttered as she started firing at the incoming threat.

"Yeah, no kidding." Harley agreed as she followed suit in open firing.

But the wild dogs were too agile for them to actually target them. They may have hit three of them but five more are approaching the two of them fast.

"Tch…let's just outrun them or climb a tree or something." Suggested Vio as she reloads her last ammunition on her weapon. "I don't wanna waste my remaining ammo against these agile critters."

"Or…I can do this." Said Harley as she kneels down to procure a magic circle on the ground.

"You mean…"

"Yup. _Rupture!_ "

After Harley mentions the word, the magic circle she procured created cracks on the ground and traced their way towards the remaining pack of dogs. And as the crack closes in to the pack, the ground beneath the wild dogs suddenly collapsed underneath them, making them fall down the fissure. However, one of the wild dogs managed to jump over a yet to collapse ground and proceeded to run towards the two girls.

"Vio, that last one is all yours." Said Harley.

"Hmph. I hate aggressive dogs. Especially ones that suddenly jump out from windows." Vio muttered before aiming at the incoming animal. And when the wild dog closes in….

 _ ***BANG!***_

The wild dog got hit on the head by Vio's bullet and rolled violently towards them due to its momentum made by running.

"Nice one. A clean head shot. You must be satisfied by now, huh. Hehehe." Harley joked off.

"Please stop with the sarcasm, Harley." Sighed Vio. She then noticed that the wild dog was wearing some sort of body armor in it. And the colors it donned is somewhat familiar. "Harley, look at it."

"Whoa, no way. So ASIC are using wild animals now?" asked Harley as she saw the armor around the animal. "Maybe not just animals, but monsters as well. Hmm…, this is just a critter, though. I wonder if the 'mother dog' is with them in the pack."

"Harley, please…." Sighed Vio once more.

"What?" breathed out Harley with a laugh. "You really think I'd jinx what I just-" But Harley stopped her words and her expression suddenly changed into surprise and fear. "Uh…Vio…."

And before Vio could respond, she heard a very muffled growling sound from just a few feet behind her. And when she turned around to look, she saw a large wolf with ash grey colored fur growling at them. And this wolf is almost the size of an adult bear. And it seems intent on feasting on the two of them.

"Y-you really had to jinx it again, Harley…." Breathed out Vio as she eyes the monster fearfully.

"S-sorry?" muttered Harley as she slowly stands up from her kneeling position.

They're careful not to make any sudden moves because they think that any sudden movements may aggravate the monster and attack them. They may be infected by the FL-Virus but they are still yet to wonder if they could survive being mangled by a beast this big.

"So…what now, Harley…?" whispered Vio.

"Uh…, grab a big stick?" answered Harley.

"H-huh…? You think that - * _gulp_ * - making it fetch a stick would make it go away…? I don't think so, Harley…."

"No, I mean we use the stick as an extension of us…, so that when it goes to bite us, we just brandish the stick so that it bites it, thinking that it is a part of us…."

"O-okay then…." Breathed out Vio as she looks around for any piece of wood to use. But while she looks around, it seemed the giant wolf got impatient and started to charge at them.

"Watch out!" yelled Vio as she jumps away from its path.

"Oh crap!" cursed Harley as she saw the beast make a jump on her direction. Instinctively, Harley leaned on her back to dodge the pounce of the beast. Fortunately she managed to evade the attack, but she leaned too much so she fell down to the ground on her back. When she rolled over and looked up, she saw the beast recovered from its leap and faced her direction once more. Slowly the beast leaned back to pounce on Harley again when…

 _ ***BANG!***_

Vio fired her gun at the head of the beast. However, the beast only shook its head and faced Vio instead.

"What the…? It has a thick skull?!" shouted Vio in shock as she rapid fires her weapons at the giant wolf, with Harley firing her barrage as well. Unfortunately, it seemed that their bullets only bounced off its head and thick fur. And this action seemed to have just angered the beast.

 _*click* *click*_

"Oh crap…." Breathed out Vio when she found out that she ran out of ammunition. She was about to take out Harley's laser pistol when she suddenly got pinned down by the giant wolf's huge paws.

"Aaaaaarrrrgghhh!" screamed Vio in pain as the wolf bites down on her right shoulder. And slowly and painfully, she could feel her shoulders starting to tear off from her.

"VIO!" screamed Harley as she keeps on firing her Fury at the beast but to no avail. "Darn it! Even bullets from a Fury is not making a dent!"

" _Harley, use a skill on it!_ " Bahus told her.

"Oh…yeah…." Muttered Harley as she quickly procures another magic circle on the ground. But she was panicking so much that she couldn't think of a good skill to use against it.

"Aaaaarrrggh! H-harley help!" screamed Vio as the beast almost bites off her right shoulder and arm.

" _Harley, just impale it with Ground Thrust and make sure the earth is strong enough to pierce through its thick fur armor!_ " yelled Bahus at Harley.

"Okay!" mustered Harley as she concentrates on producing a sturdy piece of the earth to use against the beast. " _Ground Thrust!_ "

Suddenly, a part of the ground shot up towards the giant wolf and effortlessly impaled it through its body. The beast got thrown away by the impact but it was clear that the attack did the trick. The beast lay down on the ground with a giant hole in its body where Harley's attack hit.

"Vio…!" shouted Harley as she gets close to her injured ally.

Vio was really badly wounded by the beast. Her right shoulder was almost mangled by the beast and is bleeding severely.

"Oh god…!"

"Heh. If I were still a…normal human being, I'd have died already due to heavy blood loss…." Breathed out Vio as she flinches from the severe pain her injury was giving her. "Say, why don't you fetch some of my Healing sprays…."

"Heh…, I think you'll need more than just a spray on that kind of injury." Muttered Harley as she picks out one of her Healing herb capsules and made Vio swallow it. "My medicine is more concentrated than your spray, I think."

And miraculously, Vio's badly injured shoulder slowly repaired itself. It's like her shoulder muscles are sewing itself back together, and broken bones slowly reconstructing itself.

"Whoa…" said Harley in amazement as she watches Vio's shoulder mend itself.

After more than a minute, Vio's shoulder was completely mended. And as proof that she is now well, she stood up like nothing happened to her.

"Whew…if that thing decided to attack me on the head, I'd be dead for sure. I'm glad it didn't." Sighed Vio in relief.

"Close call, huh…." Said Harley, relieved that Vio made it out alive.

"Hmph…" pouted Vio. She then gave Harley a painful pinch in the cheek, where the latter flinched in pain. "Next time, don't say ominous things again. I have now proven that you are a jinx magnet."

"Ow ow ow! Fine...! Please let go of my cheek…!" Harley begged. But Vio only let go when she got satisfied.

"Now then, let us head forth and assist my troops." Vio decided as she hears the gunfight around the forest. "And hopefully, we can go and assist Vert on her battle once we assure the security of this front."

"Okay then. I just hope that-"

"Harley…!"

"Oops…sorry. I forgot. Ehehe…"

To be continued….


	11. Chapter 11 - Truth Revealed

Chapter Eleven – Truth Revealed

(Readers may find some scenes that some could consider disturbing. Readers discretion is advised.)

"Tch…. _Rainy Ratnapura!_ " shouted Green Heart as she rapidly thrusts her spear repeatedly at Magic. But Magic was agile enough to parry the attack. "Not done yet!" Green Heart continued as she spins and swings her spear sideways, and the unsuspecting Magic got hit on her side, making her fly away from impact.

"Hehe…. Nice one, CPU." Magic said haughtily after stopping in midair after getting hit. "Now, let us dance some more." And so, they once again engaged their weapons at each other. And none of the two seem to show no signs of fatigue yet despite a prolonged battle between Green Heart and Magic. And all the while, the ground beneath them definitely shows that it has become a hellish battlefield between Leanbox's forces and ASIC forces. Gunfire and explosions are being heard everywhere within and outside Virtua Forest.

"Hahahaha. Look at that. So many brave men perishing." Muttered Magic as she looks down in the battlefield.

"And this is thanks to you and your petty ambitions of reviving the evil goddess.!" Argued Green Heart. "It was the Legion and your petty ASIC that is causing all these death and despair. The Legion has already tormented enough the nation of Leanbox, and will not allow such fate to happen in any place. I will never allow the words of darkness to spread!" As she stated the last sentence, Green Heart dashed towards Magic and attacked her.

"You could've avoided their deaths, you know." Mocked Magic as she parries yet again Green Heart's attack.

"And let your twisted ideals spread throughout Gamindustri like some cancer?! Forget it!" argued Green Heart. "Those men below are willing to fight to maintain peace and order. No one forced them to fight. It is their own will to fight for what is right that drove them to do battle against your corrupt ideals!"

"Ahahaha. You make me laugh, CPU." Magic mocked once more before re-engaging with another exchange of weapon blows with Green Heart.

* * *

Meanwhile….

"We're almost there. I can sense their presence nearing." Muttered Nitroplus as she and Marianna are running towards Green Heart's location.

"Amazing. Is that the added trait you got from your Fury? Sensing someone's presence?" asked Marianna in awe.

"Ehehe. No…, not really. It's just a gut feeling." Corrected Nitroplus, passing it as a joke.

But before Marianna could say her piece, when they arrived at a clearing within the forest, Nitroplus stopped on her tracks and looked up above them. "Bingo. There they are above us."

When Marianna stopped running and looked up, she saw Green Heart and Magic still fighting each other, exchanging weapon slashes and skills use.

"Okay. Time to help. _Fairize!_ " muttered Nitroplus. But unlike Marianna's transformation, Nitroplus' transformation is quite minimal. She only procured circular bat-like wings on her back, a pair of red chainsaws on both of her sides and the soles of her shoes ignited into flames which act like propellants to allow her flight.

And when Nitroplus slowly lifts off the ground, Marianna noticed something from her.

"W-wait…, you're wearing a shoestring undergarment?" said a baffled Marianna.

"Well…, yeah. What about it?" asked Nitroplus.

"But those kinds tend to loosen up with aggressive movements, right?" argued Marianna. "What if yours accidentally…loosens up?"

"Ehehe. Well, I have yet to encounter it loosening up during battle." Said Nitroplus confidently. "And besides, with this I can move much more freely than conventional undergarments. And also, even if it came undone during battle, the enemy would be dead before he could even get a glimpse."

"Ugh…why do I sense that you somehow are a bit…shameless….." whispered Marianna to herself in regards to what Nitroplus just said.

"Okay, off I - WHAT THE…?!" yelled Nitroplus in surprise when she felt a sudden tug from her right leg, making her fall back to the ground, landing on her bottom. "Ow…." She then found out that Marianna was the one who pulled her back. "Why did you do that?!"

"With what you are wearing, it is too risky. It might come undone during battle." Argued Marianna.

"Wait…, you're stopping me now of all times because of what I'm wearing down below?!" said a baffled Nitroplus. "Look, it never got undone during my other battles. Why stop me now?"

"A girl like you should be more careful with what you wear, you know." Marianna argued on before procuring a magic circle in her left hand and aimed it at Magic who is still up in the air fighting.

Nitroplus didn't argued anymore and just stood up and watched Marianna do her thing.

"Uh…, if that's your lightning attack, you should make sure they are a bit far from another."

"I know that, thank you very much." Replied Marianna. "You better call up to her then to know we're here to back her up."

"Heh. That was I'm about to do." Muttered Nitroplus. "Hey, Lady Vert! Over here!"

"Wait. What did you just called her?!" said Marianna in surprise.

But when Green Heart looked down and saw that Marianna was about to use a magic skill, she broke away from Magic fast.

"Now, miss Marianna!" Nitroplus called her attention.

"?! Oh.., right. _Discharge!_ "

But before Magic could fully dodge, Marianna's lightning attack makes contact and electrocuted her on the spot.

"I'm not done yet with you." Said Marianna as she strengthens her magic circle even further. " _Cloudbolt!_ " And out of nowhere, a single lightning bolt struck down on a still electrocuted Magic. The lightning strike was so immense that it plunged Magic down to the ground with it, creating a smoldered crater around the ground where Magic fell. She was not moving while her body is smoking due to the intensity of Marianna's magic attacks.

"Whoa. I think you just nailed it." Said Nitroplus in awe.

Shortly, Green Heart came landing down near where Magic lay. She first looked down at the still smoldering woman before looking at the two fencers' location, smiling at them.

"Miss Nitroplus, about what you mentioned earlier…." Marianna started after deactivating her magic circle, her sword, Khalara, still in hand.

"What about it?" asked Nitroplus as she looks at Marianna.

"Well you see i-"

"GAAAAH!"

When the two of them jerked their heads to look at the source of the scream, they saw Green Heart being blown away by some sort of wave energy from where she previously stood. And then they saw Magic, her right arm raised toward the direction where Green Heart got thrown away, slowly getting up. It is clear that she has inflicted some burn damage from Marianna's attack but what bothers the two is the fact that it doesn't seem to have weakened her.

"Tch…" breathed out Nitroplus as she raises her defense. But before she could even make her move…,

"Hello there, little Fencer…."

…Magic dashed towards Nitroplus, almost seemed like she teleported in front of her even.

"Ghhh…!"

Before Nitroplus could recover from the shock, Magic used the same technique she used on Green Heart on Nitroplus, making the unsuspecting girl get blown away from her position, ending up slamming violently on a nearby tree behind her.

"Gaaahhh…!"

And to make matters worse, it was clear that Magic wasn't done with her. She once again moved at tremendous speed towards Nitroplus before the girl could recover after slamming on a tree.

"Hehe."

And with one swift move, she impaled Nitroplus at her abdomen using the blade of her scythe, pinning the poor girl to the tree behind her.

"AAAAAAAAAAAGGHH!" yelled Nitroplus in intense pain and shock after feeling the blade pierce through her body, with blood gushing out from her abdomen where the blade pierced through.

"Poor thing. Let me end your misery then." Said Magic teasingly before making another swift move with her scythe. The blade of Magic's scythe escaped through Nitroplus' side, with the effect almost slicing her body in half horizontally. Nitroplus fell down to the ground with her nearly sliced body. She was still alive but she was bleeding dangerously. She was even coughing up blood in her mouth now.

"Miss Nitroplus!" yelled Marianna as she prepares to attack Magic.

But when Magic looked at Marianna and met her gaze, she felt something almost immediately after meeting Magic's gaze.

In Marianna's mind, she couldn't help but feel fear after looking at Magic's confident eyes. Never has she felt paralyzed in fear in front of an enemy before. In her mind, she wants to run away. Run away as far as possible from Magic. But she wants to help Nitroplus. And that resolve is stopping her from running away.

"My…, you have quite an interesting weapon there." Said Magic as she looks at Marianna's Fury. "A dark blade that emits quite an interesting amounts of dark energy. Could it be the one that I'm looking for…?"

This remark seemed to have made Marianna break away from paralysis. "Wh-what do you mean…? What do you know about Khalara…?"

"Oh…? So it's namesake is Khalara then." Replied Magic. "Still…, I must take a good look at it." And after saying it, she proceeded to walk towards Marianna.

"N-no…, stay away. Stay away!" Marianna yelled as she used her wind magic to blow away Magic from her. But it wasn't strong enough and Magic only ended up landing on the spot just besides a still collapsed Nitroplus.

"Is that so…?" Magic uttered. She then looked down at Nitroplus. "Hehe…. It seems your fellow Fencer here is still clinging for her dear life." She then proceeded to aim the blade of her scythe towards Nitroplus' neck. "Now…, you either show your Fury to me or I completely put your friend out of her misery. Your choice, my fair lady…."

" _F-friend…?_ " Marianna thought in her mind. Usually, she doesn't care if other people meet their doomed fate as long as it doesn't involve her. But this time, she felt that she needs to help Nitroplus. It then occurred to her mind that Nitroplus did helped her out earlier when she got pinned down by one of the ASIC felons. For Marianna, she believes that she owes Nitroplus her safety until now. And that belief is her reason why she just can't leave the incapacitated Nitroplus behind. "F-fine. Here, have a look at my Fury…."

"Hehe. Good girl…." Breathed out Magic before retracting her scythe away from Nitroplus and slowly walks towards Marianna.

But suddenly, a rustling of the trees can be heard and its slowly getting louder and closer to their direction, like some sort of huge object ramming through the woods. And out of nowhere, a giant spear came hurtling from within the woods, breaking some trees on its path and making impact on Magic. And as fast at it could, it drove away Magic along with it, disappearing in sight as the spear continues to hurtle away from them, carrying Magic along with it. And along the way, it seemed to have exploded on a far off distance from them.

"Wh-what the…?" breathed out Marianna, still shocked on what just suddenly happened. And all of a sudden, Green Heart appeared from within the path where the giant spear pierced through the woods.

"Are you alright, Marianna?" asked Green Heart.

"Y-yes I am. But…." Marianna then looked ahead of her.

When Green Heart followed Marianna's gaze, she immediately felt shock upon seeing Nitroplus laying on the ground, now bathing on her own blood.

"Oh dear Celestia…, NITROPLUS!" yelled Green Heart while heading towards Nitroplus. When she got near, she saw Nitroplus weakly raise her head to look at Green Heart.

"H-hehe…that woman… _*cough*_ got me good, huh…." Murmured Nitroplus weakly. Marianna then slowly gets closer to Green Heart and Nitroplus' location. And when she got near, the sight of Nitroplus made her gasp in shock. Marianna saw that Nitroplus was indeed almost got sliced in half just above her waist, with just more than an inch of flesh holding down her body.

"Hehe…that attack… _*cough cough*_ …damaged my spine badly…." Nitroplus slowly mentions. "It…paralyzed my body…. C-can't…. _*cough*_ …move my body…except for my head…hehe…"

"Nitroplus…, we must treat your injuries quick!" Green Heart mentioned in panic as she fiddles around Nitroplus' clothes to look for something.

"But…with that much damage on miss Nitroplus…, can we even…save her…?" asked Marianna reluctantly.

"Got it…." Said Green Heart in relief as she holds out a small plastic bag of what seemed like soft gel capsules filled with green liquid. "Seriously, you should put these on a better container than a sandwich bag, Nitroplus."

"Y-yeah….but H-Harley…. _*cough*_ …said that…there was no more time to look for a… _*cough*_ …proper container…." Nitroplus replied weakly.

"H-how are you still…alive in that condition…?" asked Marianna due to confusion. "Unless you are…"

However, before Green Heart could administer the treatment, she looked up due to a sudden weird feeling. And to prove her intuition, she saw Magic floating just above them. But it seems apparent that Green Heart's last attack dealt tremendous damage on her, where her armor and wings looked badly damaged and her once pale, smooth skin are now covered with injuries.

"Marianna, please administer this medicine to Nitroplus." Ordered Green Heart as she stood up and passed the small capsule to Marianna. "Make sure she is able to consume it properly."

"H-huh…? But what does-"

"Please. There is no time." Green Heart pleaded.

"O-okay…." Muttered Marianna as she took the capsule off Green Heart's hand and proceeded to Nitroplus' side. Slowly, she raised Nitroplus' head and made her consume the soft gel capsule. And suddenly and almost immediately, Nitroplus' injury seems to be slowly sewing itself back. And there can be heard some faint cracking of bones in her body, which could be her spine repairing itself.

"I-impossible…." Breathed out Marianna in surprise. "Nitroplus…. Your also a…FL-Virus host…?"

"Hehe…y-yeah, I guess…." Muttered Nitroplus as she lay still to wait for her healing process to complete. "And it is thanks to that unknown guy in white clothing…."

"Guy in white clothing?" Marianna wondered. " _So…, she must be one of those person that Sherman was referring to._ " She said in her mind.

Meanwhile…, Green Heart flew up to face Magic once more.

"You seem to be badly damaged now." Green Heart mocked at Magic.

"Hehe…. Very well played, child of Celestia." Said Magic in a congratulatory tone. "You are lucky for being backed up by two Fencers. If not for them, I may have just beaten you."

"Oh, what is this? Playing the blame game now, are we?" Green Heart mocked further. "But it is time to finish you, once and for all!"

But before Green Heart could attack, Magic suddenly turned into black mist and slowly disappears.

"Tch… she really is gone. I can no longer feel her presence within the battlefield." Muttered Green Heart. And sure enough, when she looked down, she saw the enemy forces backing away. It was clear that they came out as the victor of this battle. And this made Green Heart let out a huge sigh of relief. When Green Heart lands back to see Nitroplus' condition, she saw that the girl's injury has fully sealed itself after seeing Nitroplus now leaning on the tree where Magic impaled her.

"Her body has almost fully mended now." Marianna told Green Heart. "However, she did say that her body still feels limp and numb."

"I see. It must be that the nerves on your spine hasn't fully healed yet." Concluded Green Heart.

"Yeah. Seems that way, though." Nitroplus agreed. "Well I am slowly getting some feeling in my arms but down below my waists, its still pretty numb."

"No worries, Nitroplus. I can carry you back to our base so that you can get a better rest." Said Green Heart as she started to carry Nitroplus.

"Wait." Marianna stopped Green Heart. "First, I would like to know some things before you leave."

"Marianna…." Breathed out Green Heart. "If you wish to know the things you want, come with me to our base at the Capital. I will tell you everything you want to know."

Marianna hesitated at first to Green Heart's suggestion before arriving at a conclusion.

"Very well. I will come with you."

"You can hop in my back, if you like." Green Heart offered.

"No thanks. I can fly on my own." Replied Marianna before activating Fairize to transform herself.

A few minutes past, they have arrived back at the Capital. After turning over Nitroplus to their medics, Green Heart then turned to face Marianna.

"Marianna, there is a reason why I know your name."

"Yes, and I would like to know why." Replied Marianna.

Green Heart hesitated for a moment before arriving at a conclusion. "Very well. You do deserve to know the truth."

And slowly, Green Heart reverts back to her normal form. And as Marianna slowly witness this, her expression slowly changed as well. And when Green Heart fully reverts to her normal form, Marianna's expression turned into surprise and…anger.

"Y-you…." Muttered Marianna with a shaking voice.

"Yes. It is me, Marianna." Vert told her tearfully. "I am glad that your still alive after i… _*sniff*_ …shamefully left you behind back then…."

"It is you…." muttered Marianna, her voice shaking due to her unable to contain the rage in her heart. "Vert Gheytz…."

To be continued….


	12. Chapter 12 - Broken Belief

Chapter 12 – Broken Belief

"It is you…." Muttered Marianna in disbelief.

"To see you alive and well…, makes me feel relieved and happy." Said Vert with a smile while she wipes the tears off her eyes. "And you have acquired a Fury too…."

Alive…and well?" breathed out Marianna.

"Marianna…?"

"ALIVE AND WELL?!" shouted Marianna as she summons her Fury, anger fully etched on her beautiful face. "Do you think that after what I've been through I can call myself alive and well?!"

Slowly, the people around them seem to have gotten curious with their conversation. Thanks to some of the soldiers, however, that the growing crowd were shooed away.

"But…, Marianna, what did they do to you?" Said Vert in a worried tone.

"You wanna know…?" hissed out Marianna. "You wanna know what those bastards did to me, then?!"

And without warning, Marianna slashed her left arm using her sword leaving a deep and bloody cut over it. This action of hers baffled Vert and some Leanbox personnel around the camp.

"Wh-why did you-" started Vert. But before she could continue, she saw Marianna take out some sort of capsule from her pocket and consumed it. And before Vert's eyes, she saw Marianna's wound heal up almost instantly. "M-Marianna…. You are…"

"Heh…. Familiar to you, miss Gheytz? Familiar because one person on your team has the same altered body?!" spat Marianna at Vert.

"You are…also a host of the FL-Virus…." Breathed out Vert in a saddened tone.

"And it's all thanks to you…!" Marianna said in spite.

"I-…I'm so sorry, Marianna…." Muttered Vert, slowly lowering her gaze, unable to look directly at Marianna.

"Sorry…?" Said Marianna sarcastically, unable to control her anger. "Yeah…, you are sorry, aren't you?! I mean, you did just left me for dead after all! Some friend you are!"

"I had no choice!" argued Vert, tears now welling up on her eyes. "It was either one of us or both of us…. But I swear…, if only I had the means to fight our pursuers, I would've fought back just to free you from their grasp…!"

"I don't believe you…." Breathed out Marianna. "I never felt that I was just slowing you down to get to safety…." She then slowly looked up at Vert with seething eyes. "But in the end, you left me behind without looking back, after all…."

"I-I was scared back then, Marianna…." Vert explained.

"Then you are a coward!" shouted Marianna. "A coward whom I should never have trusted my life! Befriending you back then was a mistake!"

The harsh words of Marianna made Vert cry in guilt. "I'm…*sob* I'm so…sorry…. But I swear to you, the first thing that occurred to me when I became a CPU was to save you from Parasol Corp…."

"And yet even a shadow of you never appeared there…!" Muttered Marianna angrily as she loathily scanned Vert. "But yes, look at you…. You've turned into a CPU…. And became the savior of the southern continent. Hehehe…. Oh the irony…. Still, that doesn't stop me from loathing you right now…," By then, Marianna's Fury suddenly emits some sort of dark energy, and it glowed as her anger grows. "…because thanks to you, I'M NOW NOTHING BUT A HALF-DEAD HUMAN!" She then suddenly charges at Vert with sword at hand.

"Marianna…?!" Vert breathed out in surprise. Fortunately, she was quick enough to procure her spear in time to parry Marianna's attack.

"I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOUUU!" Marianna muttered as she pushes her sword down with all her might against Vert's spear. All the while, the soldiers gathered around and pointed their rifles at Marianna.

"No! Lower your weapons, all of you!" ordered Vert to her soldiers.

"But…, my lady-" started one soldier before he got interrupted by Vert.

"That is an order!" Vert shouted. And slowly, the soldiers hesitantly lowered their weapons down, looking at each other to see if lowering their weapons is the right thing to do.

"Marianna..., please stop this…." Begged Vert. "Please…, let us talk this through."

"What is there to talk about, huh?!" shouted Marianna as she made another slashing movement with her sword, only to be parried once more by Vert. "The damage you've brought has already been done!"

"But even with the effect of the FL-Virus, you can still achieve a normal life, Marianna...!" Argued Vert as she continues to parry every attack. "And I am here to help you achieve that, so please stop this…."

"And what makes you think that being a zombie with an intact mind can be normal, huh?!" Marianna retorted back at Vert.

"As normal as one can be, actually." Muttered a person just behind Marianna.

"Who-?" just as Marianna was about to look behind, she felt something being pointed at her head.

"Now, lower your weapon and put your hands up, missy."

"Tch…."

When Vert looks to see who was talking, she saw Harley pointing her gun at Marianna's head.

"Harley, please don't shoot her."

"No worries, Vert." Harley assured her. "But unlike your soldiers, I am a bit…hard-headed. So I 'might' just shoot her if she ever makes another bad move here."

And slowly, the soldiers gathered around once more and pointed their weapons at Marianna.

"I said lower your weapons!" ordered Vert once more, surprised to see that her soldiers just defied her orders.

"I'm the one who ordered them, Vert." said a familiar voice from just behind a group of soldiers. And moments later, Vio appeared from behind the soldiers and pointed her makeshift weapon at Marianna. "You heard what the woman behind you just said, lower your weapon or we fire. And don't you dare think that I don't know the weakness of a FL-Virus infected person."

"Vio…." Breathed out Vert.

Without leaving her with any choice, Marianna slowly but hesitantly lowered her Fury down but didn't raised her hand.

"Good girl~." Said Harley while still pointing her gun at Marianna's head.

"Wait a minute." Vio started as she gets close and looked at Marianna's face. "I saw you escape when the building of Parasol Corp. slowly crumbles down."

"Sorry but I am not familiar with you, miss…." Muttered Marianna with a still annoyed tone in her voice. "But let me guess…, the reason you know me as the girl who was last captured is because you got captured by that damned company as well, am I correct…?"

"Uh..y-yeah…, sort of." Answered Vio, taken aback with what she just said to her.

"And as for you, miss who is behind me, I am guessing that you are a fellow infected too, correct…?" Marianna asked further.

"Hehe. Why yes. Just recently too, if you ask me." Replied Harley confidently.

"You seem to embrace your irreversible, current condition well…."

"Well, I am still living after all. I mean, yeah maybe I have to make sure that I don't get deprived of food from now on unless I want to lose my mind and eat someone, and I have to consume Healing herbs just to heal my injuries but, as long as I keep those in mind I can still achieve quite a normal life, right?" Harley stated while still pointing her gun at Marianna's head.

" _You call this irreversible, hellish condition living?!_ " Marianna thought in her mind.

"Well I'd rather live on and accept my fate than give up and die." Vio mentioned suddenly.

Suddenly, Vert raises her hand and offered it to Marianna, making the latter look at her with baffled expression.

"Please…, let me make it up to you, my dear friend…." Vert begged to Marianna with sincerity, eyes still wet with tears. "I wasn't able to search for you immediately because of my new duty as CPU to fight off the Legion and save our land. But I searched for you after battling against the Legion, I swear. But when I got to the facility, it was already in ruins…. The number of casualties were so great that…it occurred to me that…you haven't survived…." As Vert said the last word, she looked down, feeling ashamed of herself for thinking the wrong idea and giving up easily.

"Well I am technically dead thanks to you…." Said Marianna scathingly. Meanwhile, Harley and Vio are still having their guard up against her.

"Then let me make it up for you by letting you feel life once more." Vert urged to her. "Please do not give up on believing in new life, Marianna…."

"No, miss Gheytz…." Marianna stopped her. "The only thing that I have given up on… is believing in you. And I gave up on it ever since you left me at that isolated alleyway and be captured by those research-hungry scums…." She then used Fairize to transform herself, much to the others' alarm. "No need to be alarmed. I'm just about to leave this place so that I can be away from this woman's pathetic face…."

"Sorry but we won't let you leave just like that after assaulting Vert." Vio declared.

"No…, leave her be, Vio." Vert decided.

"But…"

"Please…." Vert pleaded to her. "And Harley, everyone, lower your weapons. This is my personal issue and does not involve our entire nation so anyone other than me shouldn't be dealing with this matter."

"Vert…." muttered Harley before slowly lowering her gun-shaped Fury, with the other soldiers following suit.

"Fine…." Breathed out Vio before lowering her weapon as well.

Vert then looked at Marianna straight in the eyes. "You may have given up on me, but I will never give up on you, Marianna…. I promise to you that you will once more feel a life worth living."

"Tch…. Keep your promise to yourself…." Spat out Marianna. "Because your last promise failed to fulfill…. As an old friend…, you failed me…miserably." And then she flew off, as fast she could away from them.

With Marianna gone away, Vert could do nothing but cover her mouth with one hand and cry a river. The hate that poured onto her was too much for her to bear. She expected this from Marianna but it was still too much.

"Beru…~"

Hearing a small, faint voice, however, made Vert look up to the source. And there she found little Yuu looking at her direction while being carried by nurse Compile. It seems that they had just arrived after all the commotions were done.

"L-little Yuu…."

"She has just woken up from her nap, lady Vert." Said Compile calmly. "And after waking up, she was looking for you very persistently."

"Oh…" breathed out Vert as Compile gently passes the toddler to her arms.

"Beru~" said the little girl cheerfully.

"I may have no idea what made you cry, lady Vert, but please cry no more. I am sure little Yuu doesn't want to see you sad." Compile told Vert optimistically.

Vert then wiped the tears off her eyes and face and looked at the cheerful child's eyes before smiling and pressing her cheek onto the toddler's cheek, cuddling the little girl. "Yes, you are right nurse Compile. I shouldn't look sad in front of our favorite little girl." After saying so, she cuddled the toddler even more, making little Yuu giggle in delight.

"Well…, I'm gonna go and take some rest now since…I'm way too tired after all the fighting.." Harley announced as she walks away towards the Town Hall which was designated as Vert and her general's resting grounds. "And I feel bad for not finding any Furies or even fairies at all…."

"To think that we'd meet another infected person…" Vio mumbled to herself as she follows suit with Harley, not hearing what the latter was pondering about.

"Well…as for me and Yuu, we shall eat some yummy food. What do you say, little Yuu~?" Vert playfully asked the little girl in which the latter nodded cheerfully.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Dorfa, as nightfall came….

"Welcome back, lady Marianna." Sherman welcomed with a teasing manner. "Good job on stopping the enemy advance towards our beloved land. Although it does seem like you fought a tough battle. I mean, look at your dress…."

"Yeah…. Tough battle indeed." Sighed Marianna as she starts to ascend the steps towards the entrance of the city's main hall, where today's events are still circling in her mind, unable to shake it off. She was still infuriated after seeing the person who abandoned her to her unfortunate fate.

But before she could get near the entrance, she couldn't help but notice three people walk towards the orphanage. There she identified them as some of the orphanage's female attendants. One of them was carrying a little boy who seems not older than two years. A boy with short, jet black hair and bright, crimson red eyes. The toddler seems fine and was just silent as he was being carried back to the orphanage.

"What happened to them?" asked Marianna.

"Hmm? Oh that. Well, I was told that the little boy was able to get pass the attendants and managed to slip out of the orphanage." Sherman answered. "It is a good thing he hasn't wandered off too far and they managed to find him, huh."

"They should look after the children with proper care, if you ask me." Muttered Marianna before heading inside.

"That is true." Sherman agrees before following her inside.

As the day comes to a close, today marked another victory for those who wishes to preserve peace and stability of Gamindustri. But as the saying goes; a battle may have been won, but it does not mean that the war is over.

To Be Continued….


	13. Chapter 13 - Impending Doom

Chapter 13 – Impending Doom

(This chapter takes place during the events of Chapters 8 to 11)

The snow-topped, tall mountain range of the Northern continent, the place that divides the West and East continent from the North. They are also the tallest land form in the entire Gamindustri. So tall that they almost act like a wall that fully isolates the North from the rest. Other cities or nations do trading with the North by going around via the water sides. So for those who live in the middle of the Northern continent have to traverse the land and travel to the shipping ports just to leave the continent. This mountain range is also witness to the battle between the two goddess, and it is rumored that a number of the goddesses' weapons, which people now call Furies, fell on these mountains.

"And it is also rumored that the weapon that our great goddess used to seal Celestia lies within those mountain ranges, right Lady Magic?" said a boyish-looking girl who has pastel green colored, chest length hair and with odd white-purple skin and ruby red eyes. She wears a big, opened gray jacket with a mouse eared hood. The inside of the jacket is red colored, while it has black, spiked lining and cuffs. Around her neck is a black choker, and she has a very small black tubetop on with X shaped strings in the middle with an opened heart on each side, one being red and the other yellow. Her gloves are black, with the under-side being red to match her jacket. She wears plain, baggy pants and on her feet she wears black boots.

"Nice of you to be able to keep up with me, my dear underling…." Said Magic teasingly. "Yes, the dark weapon that our leader failed to retrieve still lies within those tall, snowy mountain ranges as rumors say."

Magic and the girl are inside some sort of ruined basilica within a ruined city where ASIC took as their base of operations. Magic called for the girl for she has something for the girl to do.

"But…are we just gonna believe in rumors, my lady?" asked the girl.

"Rumors or not, if it pertains to items linked to our great goddess, then we must not hesitate and find it." Replied Magic casually. "If we are able to retrieve them, it could just help us into victory in this…overwhelming war."

"But what if we came across a false information?" the girl asked further.

"Ahaha…~. Your questions are quite intriguing, my dear." Said Magic teasingly. "It just shows how much is your concern for our cause."

"Of course I am concerned, my lady." Said the girl without hesitation. "I will do anything for the benefit of our cause. I am prepared to do anything that can help us in reviving our great goddess Arfoire!"

"I am glad to hear that…." Said Magic calmly. "And that is why… I am leaving this quest to you." She followed while showing the girl a map, which was on top of some sort of pedestal, while pointing at the North's mountain range.

"E-eh…?" gulped the girl hesitantly. She seemed to have understood what Magic wants her to do.

"Hmm? Are you somehow reluctant to do this quest for me…?" Asked Magic calmly. And even though it wasn't obvious, the girl could tell that Magic was somewhat dissapointed at her reaction. "Didn't you said that you would do anything for the benefit of our cause…?"

"O-of course, my lady…!" the girl immediately replied. "I was just…uhm…surprised that I was given the honor to locate such sacred item. Ehehe…"

"I am glad you understood the quest that I am about to give you." Said Magic. "Linda…, I want you to traverse that mountain range and find anything that pertains to our great goddess' weapon."

"U-understood, lady Magic…." Replied Linda.

"Very good, my dear underling…." Magic said to her with a smile. "I advise that you wear or bring thick clothing for you if you are to go there. The mountain range's summits are…quite chilly after all."

"I… I have to traverse even the mountain top..?!" asked Linda in surprise. But Magic just gave her a stern look, taking the poor girl aback and eat her complains. "U-understood…, my lady." She sighed in the end.

"May you succeed in finding such items, Linda." Concluded Magic before leaving the girl with the map and proceeds to pick up a broad sword with a golden, mechanical-looking hilt. Beside the sword is a large, black axe with neon blue highlights and another sword although it has a blood-red blade and yellowish-gold hilt and hand guard.

"Those are…uh…uhm…what was that word again…?" Linda muttered as she tries to remember the name of said weapons.

"They are called Furies, my dear…." Answered Magic. "And after using the dark essence of our leader, I have given these three weapons…physical forms."

"Oh. I see." Linda acknowledges.

"Judge…" she points out at the black axe. "…and Trick…," she then refers to the red-bladed sword. "…both got defeated by our enemy. I have enchanted these Furies to be recalled back here and return to their weapon forms once they get defeated. It reduces the risk of us losing such fine weaponry."

" _But why send them out to fight if you don't want to lose them in the first place…?_ " Linda thought in her mind. " _Seriously, lady Magic sometimes makes a lot of drastic decisions. I hope I don't end up dying while climbing that steep rock…!_ "

Magic then imbued the sword she is holding with dark essence, which caught Linda's attention. Moments later, its like the sword came to life as its blade ignited red hot flames.

"Hmhmhm…. Go forth and assist me in battle, Brave." Muttered Magic as the burning sword she was holding suddenly shot up in the air like a rocket and flew away.

"Whoa. Where is that thing headed?" asked a baffled Linda.

"It is off to do battle along with our fellow brethren." Answered Magic.

"And...what about those two?" Linda points at the two remaining weapons.

"Judge and Trick will remain here. I require their essences for now as I will do battle as well. I expect today that I will encounter the CPU, so I need as much strength as possible when facing her."

"Is that broad from the south really that formidable?" inquired Linda.

"My advise to you, my dear underling, is to never underestimate." Magic told her before she proceeds to leave the ruined building. "I shall take my leave now. May you return with at least an important item in hand."

* * *

And so, after doing some preparations, Linda embarks for the Northern continent's mountain range. It took her at least an hour of treading the plains of the north-easternmost part of the Western continent, but not without encountering some critters along the way, before she reached the foot of the steep mountainside.

"*Gulp*…well, here goes nothin'." Linda mutters before nervously walking on a ledge on the side of the mountain. "I am just an _'errand'_ girl, after all. Not a big loss if I don't return back to them." She walks on more ledges. "Oh what am I saying?! This is for ASIC, for cryin' out loud! Do this for your team, Linda!" she told herself to pump her morale as she slowly walks further up the ledges of the mountain.

As she walks and climbs on further, she slowly feels the temperature around her get colder and colder the further she goes up. "Brrr…walking and climbing on these steep ledges while looking for some of those items are already difficult enough. Now it has to get colder the further I go?! Quite some luck for just a regular errand girl like me." She muttered to herself as she stops for a while to pull out a thicker version of her hooded jacket out of her backpack and wears it over her other jacket before pressing on to tackle more of the mountain's side.

"Tch…. I'm already way up high this damn mountain and not even a single sight of what I am supposed to be looking for still…!" Linda cursed as she walks on. However, as she proceed further, she couldn't help but feel like she is being followed. And as she decided to look back, she saw about three ice wolves climbing down the ledge behind her. And from the looks of them, they seem hungry for meat.

"Oh what the heck?! There are wolves living from this high up?!" yelled Linda in frustration and fright. And she immediately deduced that she is the meat that the monsters are after. "Sorry mutts, but this broad ain't gonna be the one to satisfy your hungers!" she yelled before running away from the wolves, which in turn ran after her.

"Find someone else to feed on, you pricks!" Linda yelled as she both tries her best to stay away from the open side of the ledge while running as fast as she can away from the hungry creatures. Much to her shock, however, when she saw that a crevace was in her way. "Whoa!" And she stopped just in the nick of time, with her just about three feet away from falling to her demise. But her problem doesn't end there as the wolves are still after her. She then measured fast in her mind on how far is the other ledge away from her side. " _I think I could make the jump._ " She thought to herself. When she looked back and saw that the wolves are getting near, she made the decision. "Dang it! Better fall than be mauled by those critters!" Relying on the remaining ground she has on her side, she ran for it and jumped.

"Daaaaamn it!" she yelled as she thought that she wouldn't make it on the other side. Fortunately though, she did made it…barely. She was able to cling over the side of the other ledge. "Whooo…! Ahaha…! I made it. I freakin' made it! Hahaha…! Who says cliff hanging are for treasure hunters and tomb raiders only?!" She then carefully climbed up the ledge before looking back at the predators that almost got her. "In your sorry faces, suckers! Hahahaha!"

As she walks on more on the freezing and windy mountain, she met the end of the ledge she is in. "Oh snap." When she looked to the side against the face of the mountain, she saw some flashing lights and some faint explosion sounds from a very far distance. "I guess lady Magic and the others are fighting against the enemy now." She then looked up to see that the part of the mountain she is in seems climbable enough. "*Sigh*…the things I do for what I believe in."

It only took her just a short moment before she was able to climb up from the ledge. And there she saw quite a large flat, open plain covered in thick snow. "Dang it, if I am unable to find anything on this spot, I'm heading back and tell them it is just nothing but rumors!"

She then tries her best to look for anything under the thick snow while fighting off the cold. But eventually, she gave up the search due to the extreme cold and grew tired. "That's it. Enough of this darn search." She then looks around to see if she can find even just a small cave or opening where she can rest and set up a campfire.

To her luck, she found a decently opened cave just ahead of her. "I just hope there are no damn critters in there." As she approaches the cave, something caught her eye after stepping over thick snow. And when she raised her foot, there she saw two pieces of some sort of crystal fragment with the color of reddish violet in the size of no bigger than fingernails, just resting on top of her boot.

"What is this…?" she breathed out as she picks them up with her gloved hand to examine them. "Pieces of glass…or crystal maybe?" She then decided to look at it more after setting up camp inside the cave she just found.

After setting up camp with a decently lit campfire, Linda decides to examine the shards she left on the ground while she sets up. "Hmm? Could these be important finds…?" she asked herself before proceeding to pick the shards up with her bare hands. However, she haven't yet picked them up when she suddenly felt dread crawl over her body. And she could tell that the feeling came from the shards.

"What the hell…?" she mumbled as she pulls away her hand off the shards. Slowly though, a grin slowly etches in her face as she realized that she somehow got a good find in her hands. "Hehe. Seems my efforts here are worth it after all…."

After her lengthy rest, Linda decided to head back and turn over her find to their leader. As much as it pisses her off, however, she had no other means of heading back except to retrace her steps. Fortunately for her, though, she didn't met her predators on the way down.

* * *

Moments later….

Magic arrives back into their base of operations, badly damaged all over but she doesn't seem to mind as she just casually walks inside the ruined church. Inside, she noticed that the sword she sent out earlier has returned with visible damage all over it.

"So…you have lost the battle too, Brave…."

"I'm back…!" yelled Linda as she enters the building, slouched down and gasping for breath and badly worn out. "Oh thank goodness…. Whew…! I'm back on firmer land…!"

"Welcome back, my dear underling…." Magic greeted her. "I didn't expect you to be back for at least a day…. So…, have you found anything…?"

"Yes…, my lady…" breathed out Linda, still catching her breath. "Here's what I've found…. Careful though, my lady…, cuz I don't think it likes being touched directly…." She added as she shows Magic the pieces of shards over her gloved hand.

"Hmm…?" Unfazed with what Linda just told her, Magic calmly picked up the red shards. And after picking it up, it immediately emitted dark mists and it surrounded the hand Magic used to pick it up.

"Uhm…l-lady Magic…?" muttered Linda in worry. "You're not affected by it..?"

"This aura…, there is no doubt about it…! You made a very good find, my dear underling…!" Said Magic, unable to contain her ecstasy.

"Uh…that is the weapon we are looking for…?" inquired Linda.

"More like a part of it, my dear." Answered Magic as she slowly examines the two pieces of shards. "Leave me be for now, Linda…. Take a well earned rest…. I shall reward your efforts tomorrow."

"Uh…okay. Thanks…, my lady. " Linda acknowledges before heading out.

"They may be small pieces only…, but the aura it emits….,the energy it contains…, there is no doubt…these shards came from the weapon our great goddess used against Celestia…." Said Magic in a monologue. Then suddenly, she picked one up and consumed one of the shards. In an instant, the damage she dealt got repaired almost immediately. And deep inside, she felt that she could fight off the entire army of Leanbox all by herself, even if Green Heart was there to fight her off.

"Truly, a gift from our great goddess, Arfoire…. Now…time to turn the tide over to our favor….hmhmhmhm…~ Hahahahahhaha…!"

To be continued….


	14. Chapter 14 - Momentary Peace

Chapter 14 – Momentary Peace

"Uhm…is this the appropriate thing to do at this time?" asked a bewildered Vio.

"Oh come on, Vio, we're just taking a break~." Replied Harley, making Vio just sigh at a loss.

"Yes. We have things like these back at the northern continent. But this level of three dimensional graphics is just very… fascinating." Said Little Rain in awe.

"You just had to bring this thing here, huh Vert." Vio scolded at the cpu.

"Ehehe…. Guilty as charged, I guess." Replied Vert in an apologetic tone while carrying little Yuu who is attracted to what Harley and Little Rain are doing.

Vert has brought with her Leanbox's first ever produced gaming console, known as the Cross 128, the first, official gaming console General Gheytz ever designed and programmed as a step towards technology advancement in the field of general entertainment in their land. But it has yet to gain popularity due to Leanbox getting caught in the middle of the goddesses war and due to General Gheytz's untimely demise during the war. So as a video game enthusiast and daughter of the late general, Vert continued to push such innovative gaming device once the war was off Leanbox's lands in order to bring forth advanced entertainment to the citizens of Leanbox and hopefully, push forth the development of graphically-advanced games, which is currently rare around Gamindustri. She also hopes to introduce such hardware overseas once the war is over. As of today, Leanbox's gaming console stands as the only rival against another gaming console from the Northern continent, which still uses thirty two to sixty four bits of graphics processing. As for the Cross 128, Gheytz was able to come up with a graphical processing of one hundred and twenty eight bits, enabling the console to support higher graphical output that looks less pixelated than the lower bit device, hence the 128 in the name and Cross following the symbol of Leanbox, where a spear intersects with a line, forming an X.

"I have just one complain about this great console of yours, Vert." Harley mentions as she grabs the controller from Little Rain as she plays a certain third installment of a first person shooter game that involves shooting demonic monsters in space.

"What is it, Harley?" asked Vert as she gently feeds a delighted little girl in her arms with some sweet pudding.

"The gamepad is bulky." Replied Harley outright as she waves around the console's controller. "I think Bahus can hold it just fine since he has bulky hands but…" She then showed to them that her hands are unable to reach some buttons without hugely adjusting her hands in the gamepad. "Not to mention a bit heavy to play on."

"Eh..? But I am able to play on it just fine." Grumbled Vert as she continues to feed the toddler in her arms.

"Well you are much… bigger than me by comparison, Vert." touted Harley. "So I bet you have bigger hands than me." She then proceeds to look at Vert's chest. " _Not to mention bigger breasts…._ " She thought in her mind amusingly.

"Ah! Are you saying that I am bulky?" Said Vert, taken aback with what Harley just mentioned.

"Wha- no, that's not what I meant." Replied Harley defensively, amused that Vert misunderstood her remarks. "What I meant was that you have better reach than I do, that's all. Ahaha..ha…." She added with a sweatdrop roll down her face.

"*Sigh* I'm gonna head out and monitor the area." Concluded Vio as she steps outside Little Rain's quarter, aghast by their laid back attitude. But she got a replacement in the form of Nitroplus who just stepped in the roon after Vio stepped out.

"Oh! Sachie, you've fully recovered now." Said Little Rain in glee as she stood up to greet her friend, dropping the gamepad, only to be picked up by Harley to continue the game.

"Uh…yes. I am fine now, Ame." Replied Nitroplus to Little Rain. "Becoming a being that is undead has proven to be very helpful in combat. See?" She then showed that her body has no signs of being badly injured thanks to the effect of the Healing herbs on her FL-virus infected body.

"Eh? Sachie? That is your real name, Nitro?" inquired Harley, pausing her game for a while.

"I guess... I never mentioned it to anyone, huh." Answered Nitroplus embarrasingly. "And Ame…" she then looked at the kind of game she saw Little Rain was playing. "…shooting demons from space? Seriously? How very unlike you to play quite a violent game."

"Hehe~. Well at least I am able to quell the impending doom of the world in that game." Said Little Rain jokingly.

"Anyway…" Nitroplus then turned to Vert.

"Hmm? What is it…, Sachie~?" Asked Vert teasingly before giggling, which made Nitroplus blush more in embarrassment.

"I – I know haven't introduced myself properly, but please give a break…! Jeez..." Nitroplus replied while blushing.

"Oh? Do I see a 'tsundere' here?" teased Harley as she shuts down the gaming console.

"A tsundere? Isn't that…a northern word about a kind of person who is dishonest about his or her feelings?" asked Vert as she cuddles the toddler in her arms, much to little Yuu's glee.

"It is more like a slang word, Lady Vert." replied Little Rain. "But yes, such words originated from the North."

"Eh? I'm already considered a tsundere just because I got embarrassed by all your teasing…?" sighed Nitroplus. "Anyway…, I am glad to see you in a good mood, lady Vert."

"Hmm? Oh, so you must have heard about my…situation with Marianna, huh." Vert said.

"Yes. I was expecting you'd still be down after such events from yesterday but… here you are, playing with little Yuu."

"Well, I believed being down about it will not help me in our battle against the dark forces." Replied Vert. "Still…, I haven't given up hope in making Marianna believe in me once more. True, I have failed her greatly as a friend, though. Oh how I wish it didn't ended that way in the past."

"Believe that Celestia has a reason for this, Lady Vert." Said Little Rain as she holds Vert's free hand. "She has chosen you to become her Patron unit, after all."

"Well…, it could've been any person, Ame." Replied Vert bitterly. "I just so happen to stumble upon her Memory Core when I was running away from safety back then."

But Little Rain just shook her head in response to Vert's remark. "I believe you were fated for this, lady Vert. You may have failed to save a friend, but you did fend off the forces of darkness away from your land thanks to your newfound power and leadership. Trust in Celestia, lady Vert. I am certain that, when the time comes, she will reward you with your old friend forgiving you."

"Thanks, Ame. That is sweet of you." Acknowledged Vert, smiling at Little Rain. "No worries. I believe in our good goddess, and that will never falter, even if I am not her Patron unit."

"That is good to hear then." Said Little Rain, smiling back at Vert.

"Well, off I go for now." Harley announced to the group.

"Hmm? Where are you going?" asked Nitroplus.

"What else?" replied Harley before revealing some sort of log book. "I'm gonna start my research about those fascinating fairies and know how they affect Furies. And who knows, I might just incorporate a fairy or two in this here Fury of mine~."

"I'd refrain from doing such things towards fairies, miss Harley." Said Little Rain in a scolding tone. "As you may not know, fairies are entities first created by Celestia before humans even existed. So show respect to them, please."

"Will do." Answered Harley back before leaving the room to do her announced business.

"And…she's off." Muttered Nitroplus as she watches Harley leave.

"I just hope she doesn't get cursed by the holy fairies while she…studies them." Sighed Little Rain.

"She'll be fine, Ame." Vert assured to Little Rain. "Besides, Bahus is with her so I'm sure he'll step in once Harley goes out of bounds with her research."

"I surely hope so, lady Vert."

"Please excuse me for a moment, Ame, Lady Vert." Nitroplus announced to the two.

"Where are you off to, Sachie?" Asked Little Rain.

"I'm just gonna hone my sword skills even further while we enjoy this momentary peace and quiet." Answered Nitroplus. "Our situation is no different to a time when the eye of a storm passes by. So it is better if preparations are done."

"Yes that is true but, you just recovered from a bad injury. You should take a break for now." Suggested Vert while carrying a now sleeping little Yuu in her arms.

"I appreciate your concerns, Lady Vert." Nitroplus acknowledges. "But this new condition of mine has proven that I am now someone who cannot be beaten by evil so easily now."

"Sachie…." Breathed out Little Rain with concern in her hushed voice.

"If there is evil in the world, I will defeat it." Nitroplus mentioned with sincerity. "Now…please excuse me." And she left the room.

"What about you, lady Vert?" asked Little Rain.

"Well…, I guess I should return this little one back to the ship where it is safer." Replied Vert as she gently caresses the sleeping little girl's head. "And I will also check our current situation there. I may order my men to advance to cover more ground and pin down the enemy once and for all. However, it is a bit bothering that not even a single mischief is being done by the enemy. And I assure you, they are far from being defeated yet."

"Indeed. I've already gotten used to the sound of firearms since this battle started that it does quite bother me that not a single explosion is even heard after your last battle at Virtua Forest." Said Little Rain.

"Just don't jinx it, Ame. Hmhmhm~." Replied Vert teasingly.

"Eepp…!" squealed Little Rain before covering her mouth in embarrassment.

"Well, I shall be off for now. Please remain inside here to assure your safety." Vert told Little Rain before heading out as well.

"Please take care on your travel back to your ship." Said Little Rain as she bids her farewell.

* * *

Meanwhile on Vio's side….

"Anything to report, soldier?" She asked after arriving at one of their military tents just northeast outside the Capital.

"Nothing to report, general." Replied the soldier. "We've been monitoring the perimeter as of late. However, there were no signs of enemy infantry or machines yet."

"Well if that's the case, expect Vert to order an advance in troops so that we can cover more ground." Concluded Vio. "Good work. Proceed with your duties, soldier."

"Yes, general." Replied the soldier with a salute before leaving behind Vio.

She then proceeded inside one of the tents and checks on her dual, .50 caliber handguns. And she found that she hasn't reloaded any bullets on the magazines of her weapons. "Hmph…I'm losing my touch." She sighed before picking up a case of .50 caliber bullets and proceeding to load bullets in her blank magazines. "I just hope this war ends in our favor. I wanna take a break so much and eat shaved ice while reading my books. Heh… maybe I'm just bored and wanna do some head shots at the enemy." She told herself as she loads the bullets.

* * *

However, little did they know…

"Tch…after making me climb mountain, now I have to sabotage the enemy ship?! Not that I can object or anything."

Walking within the woods is Linda. As careful as possible, she traverses the thickest part of the forest to make sure she doesn't get spotted by any Leanbox soldiers as she slowly approaches her goal.

"And some reward I got…." She then pulled out some sort of short sword from its sheath that is buckled on her waist. "I mean…is this really even a Fury? If so, then I don't think it's enough to defend me against that broad from the southern continent."

And moments later, the ship she was about to infiltrate came into her view, although she is still far away from it.

"What the hell? That is the XBC13 Elite?! That ship is even bigger than our base…! How am I supposed to infiltrate that huge tub…?!" she complains. "And not to mention that I was told to get near it by water. Sure I can swim but…this is ridiculous."

And with that, she first peeked at the edge of the forest to make sure the coast is clear, before heading to the shoreline.

"What was lady Magic instructions again…?" She asked herself while recalling the instructions.

"Oh yeah…. Wait for the Divine Protection of their CPU to get de-spelled. But wait…, how am I suppose to know if it's deactivated…? And how will that deactivate in the first place, anyway…?" Linda wondered before packing up her clothes in her waterproof bag, leaving her only wearing some sort of swimwear. "Well...here goes nothin'." She sighed before dipping in the seawater and proceeds towards her goal.

To be continued….


	15. Chapter 15 - Siege at the Capital

Chapter 15 – Siege at the Capital

"Oh, welcome back, lady Vert." greeted Compile with a smile upon seeing Vert come in to her infirmary.

"Yes, it is good to be back." Replied Vert while carrying a sleeping little Yuu. "Uhm…, do please take good care of the little one once more. I apologize if I burden you with the babysitting every now and then but you are the only one I can rely on taking care of her when I am away."

"No worries, my lady." Compile assured to Vert. "I am actually quite fond of taking care of her. It makes me feel like I'm actually taking care of your own daughter. Hmhmhm~."

"Oh you…" mumbled a flattered Vert. "Well I did vowed to myself that I shall look after her. So…, I guess I can consider her as… part of my family."

"Well why not?" asked Compile. "I am sure that the little one has grown quite attached to you now. Remember how she keeps looking for you everytime she wakes up from her sleep?"

"Hmhm. True." Said as she carresses the head of the sleeping girl in her arms.

"And I expect that she is quite…traumatized as well for witnessing such horrible things that happened to her family." Compile pointed out.

"Yes, that may be true as well." Said Vert, now gently hugging the little girl. "All the more reason to give her all the love we can give so that she is able to grow and live on without fear."

"And that is the right thing to do for a little, innocent angel like her, lady Vert." replied Compile as she reaches out and gently patted the sleeping, purple-haired little girl's head.

"So… I leave her to your care once more." Vert told Compile, gesturing to pick up the sleeping girl off her arms.

"Hmhm." Chuckled Compile as she gently picks up little Yuu from Vert. "If this keeps up, however, she may get attached to me more than to you, lady Vert." She added teasingly.

"Well I don't mind if that happens." Vert told Compile calmly. "The thought saddens me, to tell you the truth, but I am more busy than you are, Compile. So it is better if… little Yuu here grows more fond of you than me who will often be busy running and protecting our nation."

"Lady Vert…." muttered Compile. "I'm sure she'll like you just the same. You are her 'savoir' after all. Not to mention that you two have sufficiently bonded together as well."

"You are very sweet as usual, Compile." Vert complimented. "I must go to the ship's control tower now to monitor our situation. If you'll excuse me."

"I wish you well, my lady." Replied Compile as Vert leaves the infirmary.

* * *

When Vert arrived at the control tower, she immediately went to her business there.

"Any reports regarding the enemy forces?" Vert inquired the crew of the control tower. "It just bothers me that the enemy has became too quiet after suffering defeat from us, and it is very unlike them to not do any acts of terror around."

"So far, lady Green Heart, there have been no reports of enemy movement on any sides of the continent." Reported one of the crew.

"If that is the case, then I will order our troops to advance beyond the Virtua forest." Vert made the conclusion. "Here is hoping that we are near in fully defeating the threat known as ASIC."

"Shall I make the announcement to our troops across the shore, my lady?" politely asked the crew Vert was talking to.

"No, not yet." Vert told the crewman. "Rather, launch some of our aircraft and make a sweep across the forest to look for any cluster of enemy forces or base around. I'd do this with drones but we are fresh out of them. And as much as possible, we must find the place where they are able to manufacture those fighting machines of theirs."

"Is that all your orders, my lady?" inquired the crewman.

"Hmm…. I think it will be better if in case they find any enemy clusters or bases, I suggest that our aircrafts do a bombing round on suspected areas. I dislike the idea of just blowing up places like that but time is of the essence here."

"Understood, my lady." Answered the crewman as he returns to get busy with the control console.

"So, you are finally gonna use your metallic birds now, huh."

When Vert turns around to see who just talked to her, she saw Harley approaching her. "Oh, welcome back."

"Thanks. Still in one piece too." Harley replied. "If you ask me, I was thinking if the planes on your ship's flight deck are just for decoration or something."

"Well currently, the jet planes outside are designed mostly for aerial combat by the former monarch that ruled Leanbox before the goddesses war, Harley." Vert told her. "We have yet to fully design an aircraft that is capable of accurate bombing. And besides…," She paused for a moment. "I still find blowing up a place quite… disturbing. I really dislike the idea."

"Is that so?" Said Harley. "Afraid of the thought that innocent people could get caught in the bombings, huh."

"That is true…." Muttered Vert. "But I still gave the order for them to do such."

"I see. Well, not like there would be any innocent people roaming around ASIC bases or walking along with enemy forces, right?" Harley asked.

"Well we cannot say for sure." Vert answered. "But… I really just want this war to be over with fast."

"Wow. Quite desperate for a keeper of peace and harmony." Said Harley with a tinge of sarcasm.

"I know what you are saying, Harley, but if we don't eliminate them fast, they could cause more harm in the future." Argued Vert. "It is only a matter of time to strike them down while they are at their weakest."

"I know, I know. Just saying a piece of my mind." Replied Harley.

" _It is true, though. The further we hold back, the longer this war will take._ " Interjected Bahus through Harley's Fury.

"Thank you for understanding, Bahus." Vert acknowledges.

" _I know you only mean to do good, lady Vert. And we are here to assist you._ " Bahus told Vert.

"Again, thank you." Vert replied. "By the way, how was your travel, Harley?"

"Pretty good, I should say so." Answered Harley.

"Have you encountered any enemy sightings?" Vert asked further. On the background, they can hear the engines of some of the fighter aircrafts launching one by one at the flight deck of the XBC13 Elite. It seems their now gonna conduct the mission Vert gave to them.

"Nope. Not even a glimpse of one." Answered Harley. "However, I was able to find….~" She then procured that notebook of hers and showed a page full of sketches and words that Vert found it hard to decipher.

"Uhm…what am I looking at exactly?" Asked Vert in confusion.

"A fairy, Vert~! A fairy~!" answered Harley excitedly like a child. "Not to mention an earth elemental fairy too!"

"I…I see." Breathed out Vert, still confused. "So…were you able to catch it or what?"

"Huh? No…, I wasn't able to." Said Harley, a tinge of dissatisfaction in her voice.

" _She wasn't able to because I told her to leave the creature be._ " Bahus butted in. " _Seriously, if I hadn't told her off, she might have been attacked by the earth elemental fairy._ "

"But at least I was able to analyze it." Said Harley, proud of her accomplishment. "Not only that, but I was able to make it give enhancements on my Fury over here."

"Oh really now?" Asked Vert curiously.

" _More like she begged to the fairy, if you ask me._ " Bahus can't help but mention.

"Way to throw me off the ditch there, partner…." Sighed Harley after Bahus' remark.

"So, what kind of enhancements did you earn for your Fury, Harley?" asked Vert after laughing a bit at the two.

"Well,it seems I am able to freely reform my Fury into a whole new weapon as I will." Answered Harley. "But it seems to revert back into a gun after using it, though."

"Oh? What kind did you formed it first?" Vert asked on.

"Well…, some sort of cannon." Answered Harley.

"A…cannon?"

"Yeah. I was hoping to fire some heavy artillery at the enemy after all. Hahaha!" answered Harley jokingly.

" _Uhm… please don't mind her, lady Vert._ " Sighed Bahus.

"U-understood…." Breathed out Vert with a sweatdrop, amused at Harley and her partner.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the edge of the Capital city, where Vio's troops are stationed….

"Hmm…, so she decided to use them after all." Said Vio to herself as she saw five fighter aircrafts zoom past over their location, flying over the forest. "I was expecting her to order an advance in troops but… hmph, oh well." She breathed out as, this time, she polishes her guns.

Minutes later….

* _ **BOOM!**_ *….* _ **BOOM!**_ *

They heard a few explosions from a far distance.

"That doesn't seem to be that far." Said Vio as she finishes what she was doing and proceeds to listen further. But what she heard instead was their transmission radio setting on.

" _We have found the enemy forces. And they are so many of them. Locking on to targets._ " Said a man in the radio, assumingly one of the pilots in one of the aircrafts. After that, more explosions were heard from afar.

"So they seem to be going all out now, huh…." Muttered Vio as she listens on. "I have got to prepare my troops." She added as she went out to announce the preparations.

" _Located designated target infrastructures. Proceeding to engage._ " Announced the man in the radio before a new set of explosions can be heard.

" _See Vert? If only you used them sooner, fighting them would have been easier._ " Vio thought. But then….

" _What is that flying towards us?_ " said the pilot through the transmission radio on Vio's tent. And then, more explosions can be heard…, from within the transmission that they are receiving, though.

" _Flying hostile force detected! Clear to en-!_ " but before the words can be completed, the transmission got cut off, leaving nothing but static sounds emitting from the radio.

"Oh shoot…. Don't tell me they all got taken out…?" Said Vio in a baffled tone as she picks up her phone to directly contact Vert. "Vert! Your finest birds all got taken down by some flying enemy! I think your little 'friend' from your last battle has managed to fully recover! What are your orders?!"

"I already know that. We managed to get a sight of the incoming enemy troops with our aircrafts just recently. Me and Harley are on our way there, Vio." Said Vert on the other line in a panicked tone. "Just brace yourself and your troops for enemy engagement. Advance now so that the firefight is away from populated areas."

"You seem to be in an unusual panic." Muttered Vio, unable to hide the tone of worry in her voice. "Is the situation really that worse?"

"They are about to attack with full force, Vio!" Vert confirms to Vio. "And they are heading straight for the Capital from the entire east side of the city."

"That doesn't sound good…." Muttered Vio.

"I wish I could've recalled our aircraft, Vio." Muttered Vert on the other line. "But somehow we are unable to contact our planes back immediately for unknown reasons."

"What the heck…?" breathed out Vio in disbelief. "A-anyway, we will do as you told then. Just get here as soon as possible, okay? We might need your hand in this if we really are dealing with a huge wave of enemy forces."

"I will get there as soon as possible. Just make an advance and hold your ground until we get there." Vert commanded to her.

"Understood." Replied Vio before hanging up her phone and faces her assembled troops. "Okay soldiers, we need to move now! The enemy is about to flank us from this direction and we gotta stop their advance and hold our ground! Remember, the capital's safety is a priority and-"

"LOOK OUT!" interrupted a civilian from nearby as that person was pointing up at the sky.

When Vio looked up, she saw two sparkling things falling down fast towards the middle of the capital. As they got closer, Vio was able to properly see what they really are…. Weapons. One is a black axe with neon green highlights and the other was a thin, yellowish gold colored sword with a red blade.

"What the hell…?" breathed out Vio in confusion. But before they could immediately react though….

 _ ***CRASH!***_

The weapons landed down with shocking impact, creating huge clouds of dust. The axe landed on some houses from afar, destroying them in the process while, to Vio's horror, landed down at the Capital's main hall building, destroying the tallest part of the building which was the clock tower.

"GGGRRRAAAAAAHHH!"

Upon hearing a terrifying roar, Vio looked around to look for the source. And there she saw it. A towering, black colored machine wielding a giant axe emerges from the area where the black axe landed. And in an instant, it started destroying the surrounding houses in a frenzy.

"Tch…this is bad…." Muttered Vio as her troops charged at the thrashing robot even without her order. "?! The capital building!" she suddenly realized before running towards the half-ruined capital building, through the panicking civilians. "Please be safe, Ame…!"

When she got near, she saw that the building wasn't as damaged as she expected. However, upon looking up, she could see the roof of the building in ruins, especially on the part where she assumes the weapon got through.

When she went inside though, the scenery was frightening. The place was still filled with clouds of dust, making it tough to see what is going on. But as she goes in further, there she saw them….

"?! Nitro! Miss Ame!" she yelled as she ran towards them.

Nitroplus' back was towards Vio and she was kneeling down, and on her feet was Ame or Little Rain, injured but it seems she's alive, only unconscious.

"Nitro, what happened?!" asked Vio as she got near Nitroplus.

"Stand back, miss Vio." Instructed Nitroplus as she looks loathily at the place filled with clouds of dust.

"Ooh! Someone seemed pissed off." Spoke a mischievous-sounding voice from within the dust clouds.

"?! That voice…?!" Vio mentions in shock. She is sure that that voice is familiar to her.

And from within the dust clouds emerges the one who spoke. A huge, reptile-like machine with a long organic-like tongue came in their view. "Missed me, oldies~?"

"Tch…it's the Licker." Vio mutters in disgust.

"Gh…" mumbled Little Rain in pain, as her right side seemed injured. Fortunately, they don't seem to be fatal injuries.

"Hang in there, Ame!" Said Nitroplus as she picks Little Rain up.

"Nitro, you go on and bring her to the ship's infirmary. I'll deal with this monstrosity." Vio whispered to Nitroplus.

"Why the ship?" asked a confused Nitroplus.

"Because it is much safer there and expect our deployed mobile infirmaries here to be filled with injured civilians and soldiers alike." Vio explained to her.

"But…can you handle this monster on your own?" Nitroplus asked her in worry.

"No worries. I am combat ready always." Vio answers. "And this Licker is just enough to quell my hunger to shoot some bullets at my target. Hehe."

"Oooh. You're a very cocky old hag now, aren't you?" muttered Trick mischievously.

"Go! I'll handle this monster. You take Ame to safety!" Vio ordered to Nitroplus.

"V-very well. Good luck with your fight against evil." Nitroplus wishes to Vio before using Fairize to transform herself. "I'll get back to aid you once I've assured Ame's safety." She added before flying off using the ignited soles of her footwear.

"You're not getting anywhere, missy!" yelled Trick as he lashes out his tongue towards Nitroplus.

"Oh no you won't!" yelled Vio as she fired a bullet at Trick, hitting him sorely in the eye.

"Ow! That hurts you piece of old hag!" cursed Trick as he rubs the eye that got hit.

"Leave them be, Licker. I'm your opponent, not them." Vio declares confidently as she saw Nitroplus flying away in a safe distance. "And I won't fall for your old touting tricks again."

"Hahahaha! Quite confident of you, missy." Touted Trick. "Since you are no little girl, I have no qualms in holding back against you!" he yelled as he lunges towards Vio.

But Vio just stood there, grinning as she points her guns at Trick. "Heh, monsters. Guess after this there'll be one less to worry about…."

To be continued….


	16. Chapter 16 - Vio vs Trick

Chapter 16 – Vio vs. Trick

"Heh, monsters. Guess after this there'll be one less to worry about…."

"Grraaaaahhh!" yelled Trick as he lunges towards Vio, claws exposed and all.

"Hmph…." Breathed out Vio as she jumps out of the way just in time to evade Trick's attack. Due to the momentum of Trick's attack, he crashed on the other side of the building, making more parts of it collapse even more.

"Why you little…!" cursed Trick as he shakes the dusts off his body.

"Stop yapping your big mouth, licker." Vio taunted as she starts firing her guns at the monster.

"Agh! Those tiny things still hurt, you know!" complained Trick as he charges once more towards Vio. But Vio kept firing at him as he charges. "You'll regret not moving away, you hag!"

"Who says I'm not gonna evade?" asked Vio teasingly while she kept firing her guns at will at the monster.

"Graaaahhh!" roared Trick as he made another lunge attack at Vio.

"I knew you'd do that trick again." Said Vio confidently. And as if time began to slow down in her perspective, Vio started to run towards the lunging monster. And as she does so, she unloaded the empty ammunition magazine of her guns and immediately loaded fresh batches that are readily hanging beside both sides of her waist with great accuracy. And as she got dangerously close to the lunging monster, she acrobatically leaned back to do a sliding manuever using the momentum she created from running, missing Trick's outstretched claws by only a centimeter's length. And when she got underneath the airborne monster, Vio unloaded all her bullets at the belly of the monster. Vio's barrage of bullets created quite some force that it pushed Trick upwards a bit, so instead of a clean landing he crash landed on the wall of the Main hall, creating a huge hole on the wall and further demolishing the place. As for Vio, it seems time has resumed to its usual pace in her perspective as she stands up.

"Whew, dopamine in the brain really helps at times like these, huh." Said Vio with a sigh, mentioning something about a part of her brain that got altered by the virus.

But then, due to the tremendous amounts of damage done by Trick, the Main hall suddenly starts collapsing down.

"Tch…not good." Vio mutters as she made a dash for it to evacuate the collapsing building. And just in time, she managed to get out safely before the Capital's Main hall collapsed to the ground. But when she got out, however….

"Oh my goodness…." Vio breathed out in shock.

There she saw how such an infiltration from the enemy caused instant mayhem and panic across the Capital. Burning houses, lots of injured people, and worst of all…a lot of casualties, both coming from soldiers and citizens alike. She never expected the other rampaging felon to cause so much destruction in such a short time. And it seems that even the finest equipment in their arsenal couldn't stop Judge's frenzied assault at the Capital.

Vio couldn't help but think to herself if she is able to defeat the felon she is currently engaged in combat with. As she thinks of it further, the more her confidence leaves her, only to be replaced by despair.

"Tch…please hurry, Vert…. These people need you right now..." Vio muttered, praying that her CPU friend arrives as soon as possible. They were really caught by surprise at this moment. They never expected the enemy felons to come out from the sky and land directly at the Capital. In fairness, they were prepared for a surprise attack but not in this fashion.

"Don't space out on me now…!"

But before Vio could react in to who spoke, she suddenly got lashed away by Trick's large tongue, sending Vio flying away and came crashing down on a nearby, ruined house violently.

"Hmhm. Good luck surviving that crash." Said Trick, confident that he dealt quite a blow to his opponent. "Hmm…,better make sure she's dead." He added before approaching the ruined house where Vio crash landed. When he got near, he carefully looked at the broken windows and door of the house to look for Vio.

"Hehe. Must be under all that rubble. Good riddance to that old hag." Muttered Trick before turning around. "Now, time to find some little gi-"

 _ ***BOOM!***_

But he was not able to finish his words due to a sudden explosion that occurred underneath him.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me, licker."

Then the smoke cleared away to reveal an unscathed Trick. "So, you survived that much force on impact, huh…. And here I thought I used a lot of force with my tongue that is enough to break your bones…." Trick hissed.

When he looked back at the house, he saw Vio standing at the second floor of the ruined house, armed with her signature rocket launcher. She is scratched all over with her clothes torn up but nonetheless she doesn't have the faintest look of weakness in her or even signs of badly injured body parts.

"This is quite surprising. You are much more resilient than I tho-"

 _ ***BOOM!***_

Trick wasn't able to finish what he was about to say again after Vio swiftly threw an incendiary grenade at Trick's large mouth.

"Like I said earlier, quit yapping your big mouth, licker." Vio taunted once more before aiming her rocket launcher at the still smoldering monster. "And for your information, my...roughly experimented body has adapted against any kinds of blunt trauma."

"You have gone too far, you hag!" yelled Trick while shaking off the flames in his mouth.

"Tch…just shut up and die already!" yelled Vio before firing her rocket launcher at Trick.

 _ ***BOOM!***_

The explosion made by the rocket launcher at Trick only made the flames created by Vio's incendiary grenade burn and spread more, engulfing the monster with more flames, turning him into one large fireball.

"If you think you can kill me with this…, you have another thing coming!" roared a flaming Trick as he slashes down his claws at Vio. Fortunately he missed her but it did hit the wooden floor where Vio is standing, making the place collapse immediately on impact.

"Now is my chance." Muttered Vio after falling down from the collapsed floor. She then abandoned her rocket launcher and made a run for it. "Sorry, but I'm not gonna stay cornered by you." She decided that she should reach their military supply cache that is left at the outpost she was in earlier, and hopes that she can find any useful weapon in there to stall for time while Vert is still away. She is fully aware, however, that any weapons made by humans are useless against the felons.

"Grrr…you're not gonna get away from me!" yelled a still burning Trick before running after her. And as he run, he lashes his tongue at the running girl like a giant toad aiming for his prey, desperate to hit her with all his might.

But Vio was agile enough to evade his lashing tongue while running. She then turned into a narrow alleyway alongside some wooden shacks in the hope of stalling the chasing monster.

"Graaaaah!"

But she was naïve to think that would stop Trick as she saw the monster claw his way on the alleyway, destroying the surrounding houses.

"Tch…of course…. The houses are made of wood after all." Muttered Vio as she ran further. "Well, gun and run, then." She then decided to fire her gun at Trick while trying her best to run as fast as possible away from the burning monster.

"Graaaah! Come here you whore!" cursed Trick as he continues to thrash his way across the alleyway, destroying the wooden houses along the way.

*CLICK* *CLICK*

"Tch…out of bullets…." Muttered Vio as she tucks away her guns and pulled out the hand made laser pistol that Harley improvised for her. "Now then, to test if this contraption of Harley's really work…." She breathed out while still running away from Trick. She was nearing the end of the long alleyway. And once she's out in the open again, she just need to turn to the right to reach their outpost.

But when she pulled the trigger, it didn't fired.

"What the heck?!" Cursed Vio as she tried to pull the trigger again and again but the makeshift gun only heated up and starts to glow red hot every time she pulls the trigger.

"Raaaaaawwr!" roared Trick as he attempts to attack Vio with his tongue again while he thrashes down the houses and runs, only to miss and hit the ground.

"Uh oh, I think this thing will blow…!" Vio mentioned as she noticed the makeshift gun heats up more and starts to emit smoke. "Tch… might as well use this as a grenade then!" she muttered as she threw away the makeshift gun towards Trick. And when the makeshift gun made contact with Trick's face….

 _ ***BOOM!***_

The explosion was so intense that the shockwave it produced pushed Vio down a bit, making her trip on her tracks.

"Ow…." Vio groaned as she hurriedly stands up to run some more. However, when she looked back, she saw Trick collapse along the wooden houses. And although still blistering with flames, he was still intact so Vio assumed that the explosion only knocked him out cold.

"Now's my real chance then." Vio breathed out before running again towards their outpost. "When I meet you Harley later, I'll tell you that your improvised weapon was more of an IED than a gun."

* * *

A few minutes later, Vio was finally able to reach the outpost she was in earlier. The place was in shambles and with not a single soldier in sight. She assumed that the soldiers are busy fighting off the enemies or worst…, they're already killed in action.

"Now is not the right time to wonder about that, Vio. You have a monster to stop." Vio tells herself before rummaging some equipment from the ruined outpost.

Inside one of the outpost tents, she hurriedly reloaded her pistol magazines with the right bullets. She even carried with her one of their automatic assault rifle in case she needs to do some rapid firing. She even tried to use the transmitter radio but it was not functioning, probably broken due to the mayhem.

" _Vert…please hurry. There is no greater time for you to appear but now._ " Vio prayed in her mind as she continues to hurriedly arm herself as much as possible. She is fully aware, after all that she cannot defeat the felon by herself. She knows that only Vert and the Fury-equipped Fencers could land serious damage against them.

Then unexpectedly….

 _ ***CRASH!***_

The outpost tent Vio was in suddenly got demolished after somewhat a heavy thing came crashing down on it. Fortunately for Vio, the heavy object missed her but she did got thrown out from the wrecked outpost due to the shockwaves made by the impact.

"*cough* *cough* Wh-what the heck…?" cursed Vio as she regains her composure. And when the dust clouds cleared up, she saw that the heavy object which came crashing down was none other than Trick himself, damaged from the burns and explosions but nonetheless still fully intact.

"Hehehe. I knew you'd be under one of these. Too bad I missed my point." Teased Trick as he faces Vio once more. "That little gizmo of yours from earlier really knocked me out, you know. I commend you for that."

"Hmph. I was expecting that it blew off your head, Licker." Touted Vio at the monster.

"But it all ends here for you, I'm afraid." Declared Trick as he shifts his position to prepare to attack Vio.

"Heh. You are full of openings, Licker." Taunted Vio as she fires the automatic rifle in her hands at will on Trick.

"Agh! Like I said those things still hurt, you hag!" Cursed Trick as he turns around to swing his thick tail at Vio, but the woman was able to skillfully dodge it while continuing her assault at the monster.

"Graaaah!" roared Trick as he swings his claws this time at Vio, but as usual she was able to dodge the attack as well.

"Not as agile now as earlier, I see." Touted Vio as she discarded the now ammunition-less rifle and arms herself with the rocket launcher she picked up from the outpost. "Eat this!" she yelled before firing the weapon at the monster.

 _ ***BOOM!***_

"Arrrgh! Quit it with those explosives of yours!" Said a pissed off Trick as he swings his tail at Vio again.

"Heh. Too easy." Taunted Vio as she skillfully jumps away from the tail.

"Ha!" yelled Trick as he swiftly lunges his tongue at Vio's direction, where in the woman was still airborne after dodging his tail attack.

But his tongue missed her and it hit the ground next to the area where Vio landed, on her left side.

"Ha! You mi-." But Vio wasn't able to finish her words. Since her perception of time was slowed due to the effects of dopamine in her brain plus the adrenaline in her body, she immediately noticed something from Trick's tongue.

" _Oh crap…!_ " Vio sweared in her mind while sensing the danger. She tried to jump to her right when….

 _ ***BOOM!***_

The tip of Trick's tongue exploded. Unfortunately, Vio wasn't far enough from it so she got caught in the explosion and got thrown away by the blast.

"Agh! Those bombs really hurt my tongue but at least that did the…trick! Hahaha!" taunted Trick while massaging the tip of his tongue.

"Ghh…th-that was quite a move you did there…."

"Hmm? Still alive, I see." Said Trick as he saw Vio standing up. "To think that you were able to move away from the blast. I was expecting you'd be in pieces right now."

Vio managed to stand up, but the blast did quite the damage on her body. Her entire left side, from head down to her leg, are either burned or scratched all over. Some shrapnel from the blast even embedded themselves on her left arm and leg.

" _This is…not the best time to be badly injured like this…._ " Vio thought in her mind as she tries to reach for her medicine. But while she does so….

 _ ***CRASH!***_

"Arrgh!" yelled Vio in pain as she got pinned on the ground by Trick's tongue.

"Hehehe~. End of the line for you, missy." Trick declared to her as he approaches the crippled woman. When he got near, he removed his tongue off her and slowly, he raised his huge foot over Vio. "Old hags like you should be crushed."

" _No…. If he crushes me, I won't be able to survive it even if I am infected by the FL-Virus…._ " Vio thought in a panic. " _Someone… help me…!_ " She yelled in her mind as Vio closes her eyes tightly to brace for the crushing feel that Trick's foot will do to her.

 _ ***BOOM!***_

"Gaaaaaaahh!"

"?!" Startled by the sudden yell of pain, Vio opened her eyes to see Trick off from her and was screeching in pain as his upper body was smoking.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

When Vio looked up, hoping to see a woman clad in green hair, wings and a black, tight suit, she saw someone else instead.

"H-Harley…?" Vio muttered weakly.

Harley stepped in while holding what looks like a cannon. "Oh man, you're in a pretty bad shape, Vio." She said while reverting the cannon in her hands back into a set of pistols.

"You don't have to state the obvious, you know…." Vio muttered weakly as she tries to stand up. "Where is Vert, anyway…?"

"Whoa, easy there." Harley said as she supported Vio from standing up, letting Vio lean on her shoulder. "Vert is preoccupied at the moment. As we were on our way, we saw their leader flying towards us. We already saw you in this tight situation so I asked Vert to drop me down here to help you."

"LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME!" yelled Trick in a rage.

When the two girls looked up, they saw that Harley's attack did quite the damage on Trick's head. The two girls can see that a quarter of Trick's head seemed to have been blown off, leaving him with only one eye and horn left in his head.

"Haha! That's what you get, you monster." Touted Harley as she aims her Fury at Trick.

"You will pay for this!" roared Trick as he unleashes his tongue once more.

"Harley, let me borrow that…." Said Vio as she forcefully yanked off the Fury from Harley's hand.

"Eh? What are you-?!"

 _ ***BANG!***_

"AAAARRRGHH!" yelled Trick as Vio's attack with the Fury dismembered his outstretched tongue off his mouth. "MY TONGUE!"

"I'm not done with you…, licker…." Breathed out Vio as he fired Harley's Fury more on Trick. First, she dismembered his right claw, then the left claw, making the monster howl in pain even more. "Seems your Fury does a lot of damage now, huh…."

"Well I did got it enhanced thanks to an earth elemental fairy." Harley replied pridefully. "So, can I have the other one back?"

"No." Vio answered straight away as she fired the Fury more against the monster. "Let me…*flinches in pain*…enjoy dealing this much damage on this licker."

"Oh come on…." Harley whispered humorously as she supported Vio on her feet.

"Arrrgggh!" yelled Trick even more as Vio's attack deals more and more damage on his body.

"Hehe. This feeling of firing a gun with unlimited ammunition…. I love it…." Vio muttered weakly but in glee as she kept on firing Harley's Fury at the monster. "And finally…headshot!"

 _ ***BANG!***_

 _ ***BOOM!***_

After getting fatally hit in the head, Trick exploded into a giant fireball. Vio did it. She managed to defeat one of the felons, but not without the help of a comrade. And when the fireball and smoke cleared up, it revealed a gold-hilted sword with a red blade in the middle of the crater that was created after Trick exploded.

"Ah! That felon was a Fury?!" Harley shouted in excitement upon seeing the weapon. "Come on, Vio! Let's get a closer look~!" She told Vio while still supporting her on her feet.

"I don't think so…." Vio decided before….

 _ ***BANG!***_

…she fired Harley's Fury at the sword, shattering it to pieces before vanishing into thin air.

"Aaahh! Why did you do that?!" shouted Harley in shock and dismay.

"Trust me. That is one Fury you are better off without it…." Vio replied before handing the gun Fury back to Harley and starts to look for her medicine on her tiny waist bag. And after consuming the Healing herb capsule, her wounds started to heal at a rapid pace. Even the shrapnels embedded on her arm and leg were slowly popping themselves off her skin.

"*sigh* You should've at least let me analyze it." Mumbled Harley as she lets go of Vio after making sure the latter can now stand on her own feet.

"Well look on the bright side, that fellow might be a Fury as well." Said Vio teasingly as she pointed out the other thrashing monster on the other side of the Capital, obviously fighting off some of the soldiers.

"Ooh! Now that's a thought." Replied Harley with sparkles in her eyes.

"So…, shall we be on our way, then?" asked Vio while making sure she has now fully recovered.

"Nah, you rest here for a bit. I'll take care of that big, black machine." Harley insisted to Vio.

"Are you sure? He looks more formidable than the licker."

"Well, you can just back me up later once you've fully recovered." Harley replied before walking towards the direction where Judge is currently rampaging. "And besides, I have a score to settle with that big hunk of black metal." Harley added before she started running towards Judge, ready to confront the enemy who almost made her lose her partner.

To be continued….


	17. Chapter 17 - Harley vs Judge

Chapter 17 – Harley vs. Judge

"Destruction…."

 _*SOUNDS OF WOODEN HOUSES GETTING DESTROYED*_

"Death…."

 _*SCREAMS FROM FLEEING PEOPLE CAN BE HEARD*_

Death… and destruction! I bring this all to those who do not believe in our great goddess Arfoire!"

Death and destruction…. Those are the words that escape from the rampaging machine named Judge. For him, those who do not believe or have faith in their goddess Arfoire are considered heretics and he believes that they deserve death.

The Leanxbox soldiers who were left at the capital tried their hardest to at least repel the rampaging machine, firing all the weapons in their arsenal.

"RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!" roared Judge as he wildly swings his giant axe at the fighting soldiers. But his attack didn't just repelled the soldiers away, but it also destroyed the surroundings as well. Many have perished from that one swing, but some are fortunate enough to survive it after just getting blown away from the impact.

"HAHAHAHA! YOUR PUNY WEAPONS ARE USELESS AGAINST MY THICK ARMOR!" Judge yelled more as he continues his frenzied assault at the Capital. "THIS IS THE CONSEQUENCE FOR OPPOSING ASIC! NON-BELIEVERS SHOULD PERISH!"

"Oh, I don't think so you big hunk of metallic Fury~!"

 _ ***BANG!***_

 _ ***BOOM!***_

"Agh! An attack that manages to push me back…?! WHO GOES THERE?! SHOW YOURSELF!" The sudden attack startled an unsuspecting Judge so much that he stopped his streak of rampage to see who was able to produce such attack that can inflict damage on him.

"Oh, that would be me, you big, weaponzied Fury."

And not a moment too soon, Harley steps in Judge's battlefield. And although she was carrying a confident smile in her face, it is evident in her eyes that she is determined to defeat Judge and after that, capture him in his Fury form.

"So…, it's the gun-wielding human girl from before!" Said Judge upon seeing Harley. "You have the guts to go against me! HAHAHAHA! SO YOU WANNA DIE THIS BADLY, HUH!"

"Your loud as usual." Teased Harley as she prepares her Fury for combat.

" _Are you sure you can handle this felon on your own, Harley?_ " Asked Bahus from within her Fury.

"Well, Bahus, I just have to find out." Harley mindlessly answered. "I know my gun wielding skills won't be enough to take this huge chunk of metal down, but you did see me practice utilizing your enhanced features, right?"

" _But that was only for a short time, Harley._ " Replied Bahus in a worried tone. " _Are you sure you know what to do? This guy is surely intent on killing anyone including you._ "

"Of course I know what to do." Answered Harley confidently as she loads up her Fury, even though it doesn't really contain any real bullets. "I'll just fire at him relentlessly. You did see how it affected that felon with a huge tongue, right?"

" _Well I am here to guide you in battle, Harley._ " Bahus assured to her.

"Thanks, big guy." Replied Harley confidently.

"Now… DIE!" yelled Judge as he charges at Harley.

" _Fire at will, Harley!_ "

"Sure thing, Bahus!" replied Harley as she did what Bahus has told her.

"GAAAH!" roared Judge as he stops on his tracks due to Harley's attacks pounding him with enough force to actually make him flinch and step back for every hit.

"Well it seems to be working but it looks like it isn't doing any huge damage against him, Bahus." Harley told her partner as she keeps firing her Fury at will on Judge.

" _Just keep your shots at him for now. And make them all count._ " Said Bahus. " _As for you guys…,_ " He then addressed the remaining soldiers around them, whom got confused after being addressed by a weapon in Harley's hand. "… _get out to safety as fast as you can! Me and Harley here will take care of this monster!_ "

"You heard the man, soldiers! Go on, get moving." Added Harley after seeing the confused look on the soldiers while still relentlessly firing her Fury at Judge. "You guys will only get killed in here fast if you don't get outta here! Just go and repel their own soldiers down the forest if you like! At least the chances of getting killed in there is much less compared to confronting this guy!"

And slowly but surely, the soldiers went out of her way bit by bit until there was no one in between Harley and Judge.

" _Not really the best suggestion from you, Harley, but it did the trick._ " Muttered Bahus amusingly.

"GRRRAAAAARRRHH!" bellowed Judge to break away from Harley's relentless assault.

" _Get ready, Harley. Seems we riled him up in a bad way now._ " Bahus warned.

"I only listened to your advise, you know." Replied Harley amusingly.

" _Well at least those soldiers are at a safe distance from here now._ "

"That is good so- wait…. You only made me do this to give them some to escape?" Asked a baffled Harley.

" _Yes. That was the plan._ " Answered Bahus casually.

"Heh. And here I thought the party has already started." Muttered Harley bemusingly.

"DIE, YOU LOWLY HUMAN!" roared Judge as he unexpectedly scooped up a small but whole wooden house and throws it at Harley.

" _House incoming!_ " shouted Bahus.

"I can see that! No need to tell!" Harley answered back. Since jumping away won't be enough to evade it, she decided to use her earth magic by pulling up a thick, slab of earth from the ground to protect herself. And just in time, the thrown wooden house collided with Harley's earth barrier in a very loud crash.

"Whew…too close for com-"

"RAAAAARRHH!"

 _ ***CRASH!***_

All of a sudden, Judge did a follow up attack by striking down the earth barrier procured by Harley with his giant axe. The girl got startled by this but fortunately for her, the barrier remained standing up, save for a few debris. But nonetheless, Judge continued to strike the barrier down in one of his frenzied state.

"Uh oh, I'm cornered here…!" muttered Harley as she makes sure that the earth barrier remains steady as it gets bombarded by blows from Judge's axe.

" _Your barrier won't hold for long, Harley._ " Bahus reminded her.

"No worries. I have a plan now." Harley replied. "But I need some extra powers for me to pull this off."

" _Gonna use another magic skill while maintaining the barrier, huh._ " Bahus said.

"You really know me well, huh Bahus." Harley replied. "It won't be too draining if I do it quickly unless I missed my mark."

"Very well. Here you go." Bahus told her before transferring more magical energy to Harley.

"GET OUT OF THAT SHELL OF YOURS AND FACE ME!" roared Judge as he continues to pound down Harley's earth barrier relentlessly.

"Heh. Fine, I'll come out. But first…EAT THIS!" shouted Harley before procuring another magic circle along with the one she's using to hold the barrier. " _GROUND THRUST!_ "

And as Harley mentions the skill, Judge got hit by several huge, spiked earth from the ground. But due to his resilient, thick-armored body, the attack didn't impaled him but the force was enough to stagger Judge off balance.

" _Harley, NOW!_ " instructed Bahus.

"Gotcha~!" Harley answered back as she de-spells her barrier and made a mad dash away from Judge a bit to create some distance before firing at will once more at the staggered machine.

"YOU SCUM!" yelled Judge as he stood up quickly while enduring the shots fired at him by Harley. "I'LL MAKE SURE YOU DIE RIGHT THIS MOMENT!" He added as he charges at her.

"Tch…. He's much more resilient than that yellow one, Bahus!" Harley mentioned before running away from Judge.

"YOU ARE NOT GETTING AWAY FROM ME!" Judge yelled as he vigorously swung his axe to create some sort of shockwave and sends it towards the fleeing girl at a faster pace.

" _Look out!_ " Bahus warned Harley.

But it was too late….

"Oof!"

Before Harley could react, the shockwave hit the ground near her. The impact created such an explosion on the ground that it sent Harley off her tracks and came crashing down on the ground a bit violently.

"Ouch…that hurt big time." Groaned Harley as she slowly stands up.

" _HARLEY! INCOMING!_ "

When Harley looked up, she saw Judge swing his axe towards her at great speed.

"?!" Harley quickly reacted by procuring another earth barrier. However….

 _ ***BLAM!***_

Due to rushing, Harley wasn't able to produce a thick enough earth barrier and when it met Judge's axe, it easily decimated the barrier. But the worst part is… the axe continued on and eventually hit Harley squarely in the body. The force was so immense that it sent Harley hurtling away and she even went and break through some wooden houses before stopping on the last house she collided with.

"Oh…..ouch…."

Any person who got hit by a huge axe and being sent hurtling away like that could mean instant death. However for Harley….

"I'm…still in one piece after all that…?" groaned Harley as she looks at herself. She was indeed covered in bloodied scratches and cuts but the more she felt her body, the more she gets amazed as to why she didn't got cleaved in half by Judge's axe or that she didn't sustained any broken bones after smashing through several wooden houses. "H-how is this…possible…? Hahaha!"

" _Well, I tried to surround your body with the Fury's earth energy before that felon's weapon hit you._ " Explained Bahus. " _Luckily it did the trick. But it seems to have absorbed most of the impact from the axe, depleting most of the protection I enclosed to you, that is why you still sustained those scratches._ "

"Thanks, Bahus. You really saved me there." Replied Harley gleefully but sincerely. "I bet a lot of power from the Fury got used, huh."

" _That is true._ " Answered Bahus. " _But thanks to that earth elemental fairy's enhancement, you can replenish a decent amount of energy back to the Fury by drawing out energy from the earth._ "

"Ooh! Let me try that." Said Harley excitedly as she stood up without minding the injuries she sustained.

" _You better heal yourself first before you do that._ " Bahus suggested.

"Oh, you're right." Replied Harley as she picks up a piece of Healing herb capsule from a small container hanging from her belt. And as she heals herself, they could hear some objects being crushed at a distance.

"It seems that Judge felon has resumed his destruction of the Capital." Said Harley as her wounds are now fully healed thanks to the medicine she consumed.

" _Yeah. We better hurry and stop him._ " Bahus mentioned. " _Try concentrating your mind in drawing out energy from the earth while holding the Fury tight on your hands._ "

"Okay." Replied Harley as she did what Bahus has told her. "Hmm…."

As she did so, she can slowly feel the warmth from the earth coming into her, slowly travelling to her body and towards the Fury in her hands. However, only about a minute has passed, the sensation of drawing energy from the earth suddenly disappeared.

"Eh? Over already…?" Said Harley in confusion as she opened her eyes. "But I made sure to concentrate."

" _Seems there is a limit to this ability._ " Concluded Bahus.

"What? And here I thought I could replenish the Fury back to full energy." Sighed Harley.

" _No worries. I can tell that the Fury has enough energy to use, Harley._ " Bahus assured to her. " _Tell you what, we can even use…that._ "

"Oh! You mean…?!" bellowed Harley in excitement.

" _Yup._ "

* * *

Meanwhile, as Judge's rampage continues….

 _ ***BANG!***_

"Grrrrr…! SHOW YOURSELF!" roared Judge as he looks around to find the one firing at him, destroying everything around him as he did so.

 _ ***BANG!***_

"Agh! STOP MESSING WITH ME!"

From a long distance from Judge, Vio stationed herself on a high enough place within the ruined town. She is armed with a long range sniper rifle she found at her outpost that she is currently using to attack Judge from a far away location.

"Hehe. Not the brightest felon within the bunch, huh." Touted Vio as she prepares to fire the weapon once more. "All brawn and no brain. All you do is thrash around and not think of where the one shooting you is actually located. Too bad that even though this is an armor piercing rifle, this does nothing but annoy the hell out of him. At least this will distract him enough to give Harley some room to attack."

 _ ***BANG!***_

"Bullseye…." Breathed out Vio after hitting Judge once more. "Now to move to another location."

After moving to a new, higher location, Vio sets the rifle up once more to attack Judge. Since it was the middle of the afternoon, Judge really stands out from the ruined town thanks to his sheer size and color.

"Now then…." Muttered Vio as she looks at the rifle's scope once more. But before she could properly aim the gun at the enemy, she saw something from a distance.

"Huh…? A missile?" Vio asked herself while trying to focus on the object that is coming towards the still thrashing enemy. "?! Wait…, that is…!"

* * *

At Judge's location….

 _ ***BOOM!***_

"Graaaahhh!" yelled Judge as he got hit by an unknown attack, staggering him once more.

"Missed me, you big robot~?"

There was Harley, standing almost in front of the staggered felon.

"Grrr…so you're a Fencer, after all!" Judge said as he got a look at Harley.

Although she still wears the same clothes, Harley now adorns some sort of armor covering her arms and legs that is the same color as her Fury. She even have a cog-like mechanism floating behind her.

"Yup~! And for the first time, I finally am able to use Fairize like some Fencers that I know. Cool, huh~!" Harley muttered.

"Like that matters…!" Judge muttered back. "I CAN STILL KILL YOU!" He roared before charging toward Harley.

"Witness how I use my guns in akimbo~!" Harley said before firing at will at Judge using her dual pistols in hand.

This time however, the bullets she's firing are exploding on impact to Judge.

"Aaaarrrgh!" yelled Judge as he stops on his tracks to defend from the volley of exploding bullets from Harley.

"ENOUGH!" He roared before making another shockwave with his axe. When all the smoke from the explosions cleared away, Judge saw that Harley was not in sight. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Here~!"

 _ ***BOOM!***_

"ARRRRGH!" bellowed Judge as a bigger explosion hit him.

And there, standing on top of a ruined, three-story building was Harley, this time she is wielding some sort of large hand cannon.

"Now have a taste of some heavy artillery!" she yelled before firing the cannon in her hands.

"AAARRGGHH! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" roared Judge as he endured the volley of attacks from Harley to charge at her while crazily swinging his axe.

"Whoops~. " breathed out Harley as she jumps off the building just in time before Judge came crashing to it with his axe.

"And now…, take this." Harley then transformed her Fury into a spear.

"I WON'T LET YOU!" yelled Judge as he gets off from the debris to attack Harley head on.

But Harley didn't moved from her location, but instead she summoned a magic circle on the ground and procured a pointed earth from the ground.

"This is a trick I somewhat mimicked from Vert. I call this… _GAIA SPEAR!_ " She yelled before hurtling the spear along with the earth towards Judge at great speed.

"THAT WILL NOT WORK ON M-!"

 _ ***CRASH!***_

"Hehe~. Well, what do you know. It worked." Harley muttered as she saw the effect of her attack.

"This…THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!"

The spear Harley used cleanly impaled Judge right in the middle of his body. And it is evident that his armor is starting to crack from the area where the spear pierced through.

" _Harley, now is your chance!_ " Bahus told her.

"Understood!" Harley replied.

After procuring the spear from Judge's weakened body, she turns it back into a set of pistols.

"This move will make Vio quite envious of me. Haha!"

She then procured several magic circles around Judge, covering him from almost every angle. Then after that, some sort of thin screen appeared in front of her face, covering her eyes while a similar magic circle appeared in front of her. "I hope this new trick works. I barely managed to practice this."

"Y-YOU…!" breathed out a weakened Judge loudly.

"Have a taste…of my _BULLET STORM!_ " Harley then fired her weapons at the magic circle in front of her in a barrage, going inside it. And fascinatingly, the output of her attack came out of the magic circles surrounding Judge, bombarding him with exploding bullets in every direction.

"GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"I'm pouring everything I have on this! Haaaaaaa!" And as Harley continues her assault, it is evident that Judge's body is cracking up and some of his parts are even starting to fall apart now.

" _Harley, finish him off!_ " Bahus encouraged to her.

"HAAAAAAA!" yelled Harley as she poured even more energy on the attack.

"THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!"

 _ ***BOOM!***_

And with his last yell, Judge's body gave in to Harley's barrage, making him explode violently.

" _You did it, Harley!_ " Bahus cheered. " _You broke his armor and defeated him! Haha!_ "

"Haha…I did it…al…right…!" breathed out Harley before reverting to her normal form and collapsing on the ground due to fatigue.

" _Haha. Great job._ " Said Bahus. "Now you've finally utilized the Fury in your possession."

"And with you possessing it too…" muttered Harley while still lying flat on the ground. "Hmm…"

" _Harley?_ "

"?! The Fury!" Harley suddenly shouted before hurriedly standing up like she wasn't fatigued.

"Such finds really rile you up, huh…." Sighed Bahus.

And there Harley saw the black axe on the ground where Judge was previously standing.

"I better grab it before it flies of or whatever." She said before hurriedly approaching the battered Fury that was once Judge The Hard. But before she could even get near it...

 _ ***BOOM!***_

A mysterious beam of light suddenly struck down the Fury, destroying it in an instant.

"WAAAAAAH! Who did that?!" shouted Harley as she felt both frustration and shock in an instant she saw the black Fury get disintegrated in an instant.

* * *

Harley is unaware, however, that there was someone observing from a distance…and his presence was well hidden.

"I'm sorry but…this world is better off without such weapons." The mysterious person muttered to himself. "Am I right, Ryushin?"

"Understood." Muttered Ryushin in a digitized voice.

Sherman was observing from the farthest point of the Capital, and it was he who destroyed the Fury before the unsuspecting Harley can get to it.

"Should we not assist?" Asked Ryushin.

"No. I am just here to observe, Ryushin." Replied Sherman. "We will not meddle with this…affair of theirs."

"Understood." Ryushin answered.

"Hmhm. They are winning slowly but surely against the forces of evil." Sherman muttered to himself. "This is getting interesting…."

To be continued….


	18. Chapter 18 - A Girl and her Noble Sword

Chapter 18 – A Girl and her Noble Sword

(This occurred during the events of chapter 16)

"Quick! I need your help!" Yelled Nitroplus as she arrived at the infirmary of the ship. She was still carrying an injured Little Rain.

"Oh, please. Lay her down here in the bed." Compile replied, indicating a vacant hospital bed just across from the bed where she lay a still sleeping little purple-haired girl even though Nitroplus yelled.

"Okay." Breathed out Nitroplus before laying down the injured and unconscious priestess on the hospital bed. "Please treat her with all you can give."

"No worries, miss Nitroplus. It is my duty to treat the sick and the injured, after all." Compile assured Nitroplus. "But do please refrain from speaking out loud. Little Yuu is still sleeping." She added with a smile as she started treating Little Rain's injuries.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Replied Nitroplus as she noticed the sleeping little girl on the other bed. "But why let her sleep here in the infirmary? Wouldn't it be better if she sleeps in Vert's room?"

"Well this is the only way I could look after her properly, you know." Compile answered as she disinfects the wounds of Little Rain. "And besides, I need to stay here at the infirmary in case anyone on the ship need immediate treatment. So whenever lady Vert asks me to look after her for a moment, I either let her sleep or let her play with some toys that lady Vert bought for her here in the infirmary."

"I see." Muttered Nitroplus silently. She then looked at her unconscious friend who was still being treated of her injuries. "I hope she's alright."

"She will be, I assure you." Replied Compile. "Although I am only administering first aid on some of her injuries, I still need to run some tests and make sure she hasn't sustained any internal injuries."

"Thank you. Please look after her well." Said Nitroplus, unable to contain the worried tone in her voice. She then settled to sit at the edge of the bed where little Yuu is still sleeping soundly. There, Nitroplus couldn't help but gently pat the sleeping girl's head. And Compile couldn't help but notice this and it made her smile.

"You know, I actually made a blunder once when I was looking after the little one." Compile suddenly mentioned as she continues to apply first aid on Little Rain's wounds.

"What do you mean by that?" Asked Nitroplus as stopped patting little Yuu's head.

"Well it happened just the other day." Compile started. "I was busy sorting out all of my medical files so I just let the little one play with her toys just near me. But what I failed to notice was that one of my scalpels was on the floor. I believe it fell there from my medical tray."

"Wait, don't tell me…." Breathed out Nitroplus.

"Yes, when I took a glance at the little one, I saw her already holding the scalpel with her hand." Compile continued on. "And what scared me the most was that…she was grasping it by the blade. And she was grasping it a bit tightly, thinking that it was one of her toys. Thinking that prying it off her hands would cause a deeper cut on her hand, I calmly asked her to put down the scalpel. She didn't do so at first, but as I calmly asked her another time, she puts it down eventually."

"Then…, what about her hand?" Nitroplus asked. "Didn't she felt any pain from holding such a sharp scalpel?"

"Well I immediately looked at her hand to checked." Replied Compile. "And the reason why she was just casually holding on to it until I asked her to let go was that…she didn't get injured from grasping such a sharp object. Not even the outer skin of her palm got injured either."

"Well, she's one fortunate girl for not getting injured from holding such object." Sighed Nitroplus in relief.

"That is true." Said Compile. "But when I checked the scalpel, it was indeed sharp enough to easily cause a cut on soft surfaces. So I was really surprised that it didn't injured her. But at the same time, I felt very relieved that the little one didn't get injured."

"Good for her. Hmhm." Giggled Nitroplus a bit as she gently pats the little girl's head once more.

"So, the enemy attacked the Capital directly, huh…." Said Compile in a sad tone.

"Yes. And they seemed to have strengthened their powers too." Replied Nitroplus.

"How can you tell?" Asked Compile as she finishes applying first aid to Little Rain's wounds.

"I can tell." Answered Nitroplus. "The felons suddenly appearing from nowhere and assaults the Capital directly? They could've done that before. So it clearly shows that they got their powers improved or something."

"And that made lady Vert very alarmed earlier." Said Compile. "That is why she and miss Harley hurriedly went towards the Capital to confront the threat."

"Yeah. I met them along the way here." Nitroplus mentioned.

"Aren't you going to follow and aid them, miss Nitroplus?" Asked Compile as she packs up the first aid kit contents back to their container.

"I will do so." Replied Nitroplus. "But I need to make sure that Ame is okay first."

"Very well. I will run some tests on her now, like taking an x-ray of her body to make sure that she did not sustained any bone fractures."

"Thanks again, miss Compile."

 _ ***Boom***_

"What was that?!" blurted out Nitroplus as an explosion like coming from a cannon can be heard outside. And they were so loud that ot even startled the sleeping little girl up. Sadly, it startled her so much that she was about to cry.

"Oh dear." Said a worried Compile as she hurriedly went for the little girl and warmly hugged her while gently calms down the little girl from crying. "Hush now, little one…. Everything is gonna be alright."

"Were those the armaments of this ship firing?" Asked a curious Nitroplus.

"It seems so." Replied Compile as she continues to take care of little Yuu.

"Then that means there are enemy forces coming near the ship." Concluded Nitroplus. "I'm heading out to repel them."

"But we are protected by lady Vert's Divine Protection, miss Nitroplus." Compile told her.

"Divine Protection?"

"Yes. Lady Vert encloses the ship with some sort of magical barrier that repels any life-threatening occurrences, keeping those within the barrier protected from any harm. And it can only be de-spelled by lady Vert herself or if something happened to lady Vert that made the barrier de-spell itself." Compile explained. "Well…that is what she told me, that is."

" _Code Red. Code Red. All ship defense personnel are to report to the flight deck immediately. I repeat…._ " Said the voice from the ship's intercom.

"It seems the ship is going to repel more enemies if it is summoning more defense personnel." Nitroplus mentioned.

"The incoming enemy forces must be numerous then…." Said Compile who couldn't help but be worried about the situation.

"Why worry so much if we are enclosed by a protective barrier?" Muttered Nitroplus.

"Well it is still scary because of the fact that enemy forces are just outside and is within the ship's perimeter." Explained Compile.

"Then let me quell your fears." Nitroplus told Compile before she starts heading out of the infirmary. The ship's armaments fire still can be heard.

"What do you mean?"

"I will personally repel the enemies myself using my noble sword." Nitroplus declared without brandishing her Fury. "It is my duty to destroy all evil, after all."

"I see. May good luck be with you, miss Nitroplus." Compile wishes for her while still comforting little Yuu.

* * *

When Nitroplus arrives at the ship's flight deck, there she saw the ship's soldiers firing from the side of the ship where the enemy forces are inbound. And there Nitroplus saw numerous custom-made boats from the enemy coming in fast, dodging the cannon fire from the ship's armaments.

"Incoming!" yelled one soldier.

True to his words, Nitroplus saw several missiles coming from the boats fly towards their direction.

"Brace for impact!" yelled another soldier.

However, before the missiles could reach them, they met some sort of invisible barrier encompassing the entire ship, exploding on impact. But the shockwave from the explosion created some waves on the water, making the ship sway along a bit.

"So this is the Divine Protection from Vert…." muttered Nitroplus in awe.

"Hey! Why aren't the ship's guns firing?!" shouted one of the soldiers.

True enough, the ship's armaments went quiet all of a sudden. And the sight of some of the ship's crew panicking meant something was wrong with the ship's controls.

"So, the barrier doesn't protect from any infiltration, huh…." Muttered Nitroplus to herself. She then asked herself, would she go after the infiltrator first or repel the large group of enemies? She then decided to…

"Hey you guys, back me up on this one, okay?" Nitroplus told the soldiers near her.

"Huh? What are you going to do, miss?" questioned one of the soldiers she asked.

"What am I going to do, you ask?" Nitroplus asked back before procuring her sword and surprising the soldiers when she accessed Fairize in front of them. "I'm going to eliminate the enemy forces, of course."

"All by yourself?"'Asked a confused soldier.

"Hmhm. Never underestimate my Way of the Sword, soldier." She cockily told the soldier before flying off towards the enemy forces.

"Rawmeat, enclose me with your protective flames…." She said to her Fury. And as she flies past the barrier, she got engulfed by flames coming out of the Fury, but it seems to not burn her at all. It's there to become her own barrier to protect herself. "Hehe. It worked. My training is paying off." She muttered before flying towards the enemy fleet.

And as expected, when she got near, the enemy forces immediately focused their fire towards her. Nitroplus dodged incoming missiles from the enemy and repelled their hail of bullets using her sword.

"Taste the flames of my noble sword!" Nitroplus yelled before slashing her crimson katana in the air, producing numerous fireballs that came raining down on the enemy fleet. The boats that got hit immediately exploded on impact while those that got grazed only still burst into flames.

"This is a good day for you evildoers to die…. HAAAAAAAAAH!" Roared Nitroplus as she dives down on the remaining fleet, dodging or slicing the missiles and bullets that were fired at her. And when she got close, she poured all of her strength and speed on slashing down the remaining fleet with her flaming sword.

After almost an hour, with the help of the soldiers from the ship providing ranged support, Nitroplus was able to eliminate the incoming enemy forces. And with the help of her flame barrier, she got out of that unscathed.

"Hmph. Not worthy to be brought down by my noble sword." Muttered Nitroplus as she remains airborne, looking down at the burning wreckage of the enemy fleet. "Good thing I held back a bit and saved some of Rawmeat's energy. Time to head back, Rawmeat."

And as she heads back however, she felt something different from the ship. It's like….

"?! The barrier…. I can't feel its presence…! But how-?"

She then saw something hurtling down from the sky, like some sort of shining weapon that is about to make an impact on the XBC13's deck.

"No way…!" She muttered to herself before flying at breakneck speeds back to the ship. But before she could get there quick enough….

 _ ***BLAM!***_

The object made impact on the farthest point of the ship's flight deck, creating a thick column of smoke on the place of impact, hurtling all objects and people on the deck away from the place, falling down on the deep sea below. And when the smoke slowly cleared up, Nitroplus saw a huge machine-like being come out from within the pillar of smoke. And for her, that being was all too familiar.

"No way…." Nitroplus breathed out before making a dash towards the ship. And when she landed on the other side of the deck, her suspicion became all too clear now. "So it is you…." She angrily muttered towards the huge robot who was wielding a giant, flaming sword just like hers.

"So…we've meet again, Fencer." Muttered the giant robot.

"You are Brave, correct…?" Asked Nitroplus before positioning a fighting stance.

"I'm glad you still remember me. I am flattered." Replied Brave casually. "And I, Brave, shall take down the heretic's base of operations that is this vile tub."

"Sorry, but I won't let you do as you please." Said Nitroplus, intent on defeating this felon once and for all. " _Not good. Ame, Compile and the little girl are just inside. I have to make sure that this ship remains afloat and safe._ " She thought in her mind. " _Vert…, what happened to your barrier?!_ "

"Prepare yourself, heretic!" Brave challenged to Nitroplus.

"I'm always prepared to fight against evil, felon." Nitroplus answered back. "Now then, time to show to you my way of the sword!"

To be continued….


	19. Chapter 19 - Nitroplus' Determination

Chapter 19 – Nitroplus' Determination

"Evil should be cut down!" yelled Nitroplus as she makes her move towards the robot named Brave, who also charged at her.

"Haaaaaa!"

Two flaming swords clashed on one another. Nitroplus keeps slashing relentlessly while Brave parries and counters. And on the background, the soldiers are providing back up fire for Nitroplus. But it seems Brave doesn't mind the hail of bullets raining down on him.

 _ ***BOOM!***_

"What the…?!" bellowed Nitroplus in surprise after the sudden explosion. And when she looked for the source, she saw a part of the ships right side engulfed in flames. She has no idea what part of the ship exploded, but it certainly alarmed her because she is fully aware that Little Rain, Compile and the little girl are inside the infirmary.

"Your opponent is right here, fencer!" taunted Brave as he made a slash movement with his flaming sword, unleashing a band of fire that makes its way towards Nitroplus.

"Tch…!" Nitroplus clicked her tongue as she surrounds herself with her flame barrier to block the attack. It did the trick for her, but the ship's bridge didn't get so lucky. The band of fire went through Nitroplus and slammed at the ship's main bridge, destroying the place where all of the ship's controls are at. Not to mention a couple more explosions happening just below the ship's hull.

"Hmhm. It seems your mighty vessel has met its match, fencer." Touted Brave as he makes another fighting stance.

"Grrr…then I just have to finish you off fast, then!" declared Nitroplus as she unleashes more of her Fury's potential. "You guys!" She referred to the disarrayed soldiers. "I believe that there is a saboteur inside the ship! Stop that person at all costs before they manage to sink us all in the water! Abandon ship if it's a lost cause. Do it…NOW!"

Confused but alarmed, the remaining soldiers stopped their assault on Brave and went to either search for the ship's saboteur or evacuate the ship as soon as possible.

"A valiant move. However, I will make sure that not a single person leaves." Declared Brave. "This ship will be the tomb of you all!"

"LIKE HELL I'D ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN!" yelled Nitroplus as she attacks Brave with one forceful slash.

"?! Gh…" To Brave's surprise, Nitroplus' attack somehow managed to push him back as he parried it. "So you are putting everything you have on your assault, I see. I can feel your resolve in this one attack."

"That is because there are innocent people inside this ship, especially those who are dear to me!" Nitroplus said as she puts more force on her attack, emitting more energy, making her flames grow stronger and more intense. "And I will not let them get harmed by anyone!"

"Hahaha! I, too have my own resolve, fencer!" Said Brave using more of his power to push back a flaming Nitroplus. "And that is to revive our dear goddess!" He yelled before successfully pushing Nitroplus back.

"I'm not done yet!" yelled Nitroplus as she charges at Brave once more.

"Hahaha! I can feel your burning passion, fencer!" Brave told Nitroplus admirably as he parries every slashing attack the girl did. "Why did you not showed this on our first battle?"

"This is how I am if those who are dear to me is in danger!" Yelled Nitroplus as she keeps up her assault on Brave. "En guarde!"

"With pleasure!" Replied Brave. "It is an honor to fight against a true, valiant swordswoman such as you!"

* * *

Meanwhile, within the smoldering parts of the XBC13 Elite….

"Hehe. Divine protection my butt. It can't even protect the ship from an infiltration."

It was Linda. She is currently located within the hull of the ship.

"Well, that broad's protection did prevented me from sabotaging any components of the ship." She said to herself. "I wonder what lady Magic did to de-spell the protection? Hehe. Must have pummeled the crap out of her when they fought against each other. And thanks to that, I was able to execute the plans of sabotage on this big, floating tub."

Linda then proceeded to plant more bombs on the ship's hull. The plan given to her by Magic was to cripple the Leanbox forces by putting the XBC13 Elite flagship out of commission. And she was also told that if Linda was able to sink the ship, she will be greatly rewarded.

"I just hope the reward is not another crappy thing like this dagger or something." Sighed Linda as she plants a bomb. "I'm not even sure if this dagger here is a real Fury or not."

 _ ***BOOM!***_

"Whoa!" yelled Linda as an explosion just above the place she is in rocked the ship so bad that it partially tipped on its side, making Linda lose balance and bumped her head on a hanging pipeline.

"OW! Damn that hurt!" Whined Linda as she rubs the spot on her head that hit the pipe. "Man, the ship must be bombarded hard or something. I better finish this quick so that I could return to lady Magic and let her watch the fireworks that I made for her. Hehe. I am sure this is where the ship's power generator is at."

"Halt! Hands up you!"

When Linda turned to look, she saw three soldiers pointing their rifles at the end of the corridor she is in. "Oh, dang it!" She muttered before slowly walking away and pulling out the dagger that Magic gave to her. " _Can this really help me in this situation?_ "

"We can just shoot her now, you know." Said one soldier.

"Huh? We're not gonna take her in for questioning?" Asked the second soldier.

"We are at war, soldier. She is the enemy and the reason why there are so many casualties in this ship!" The third soldier reasoned.

"Understood." Replied the second soldier. "I'll deliver the killing shot then." He added as he puts Linda on the crosshair of his rifle.

"Whoa, wait I- !" Linda started before….

 _ ***BOOM!***_

…the ship got rocked once more by another explosion, disorienting the soldiers in their place. As for Linda, however, the sudden swaying of the ship made her fall on to her rear hard.

 _ ***Click***_

"H-Huh…?" Muttered Linda when she felt something click under her. And when she reached for it, she saw the detonator of the bombs got activated. "OH CRAP!"

And what followed are a series of intense explosions underneath the ship's hull. They were so immense that the explosions even made it to the ship's bridge. In just those short moments, almost the entire ship got engulfed by roaring flames and more small explosions. Casualties from the ship's crew could be several.

As for Linda….

"Puaaah!" She breathed out after emerging from the water. It seemed that the explosion threw her away so far from the ship.

"I…I survived that?! Awesome!" She then noticed that she is enveloped by some sort of protective field around her entire body. And by then she noticed that the protective field was coming from the dagger she was still holding.

"Hahaha! Lady Magic's gift is useful after all!" Linda said in delight as she brandished the dagger. But before she could admire Magic's dagger however...

 _ ***Crack***_

…the dagger cracked and shattered on its own in her hands. "Huh? That's it?! That is so lame!"

All she could do now is gaze upon the mayhem she has caused, the utter destruction of Leanbox's capital ship.

"Hehe. I should get outta here." Said Linda before swimming away from the smoldering ship. "As much as I wanna stay and watch it sink, I'd rather get off this freakin' water and watch from a distance."

* * *

"N-no…."

Nitroplus' reaction from the sudden destruction of the ship she was trying her best to defend was that of deep despair. She doesn't care about the injuries she sustained from her battle. For her, she failed to defend an important place. She was still in the middle of battling against Brave when the gigantic explosion occurred just from behind her.

"You have failed, fencer." Brave declared to Nitroplus, about to deliver the final blow on the despairing girl. "It is over. The one you are defending has been destroyed."

But Nitroplus stayed quiet in her place, still bewildered at what has just occurred right in front of her face.

"You have fought valiantly. You are a commendable swordswoman." Brave acknowledges. "But I now ask you to surrender your life to me, and sooner you will meet your friends and comrades in the afterlife."

But Nitroplus still remained stationary in her place, still on a trance due to what happened.

"It has been a good fight, fencer." Said Brave as he approaches Nitroplus to strike her down with his sword. "Farewell." He bid to Nitroplus before delivering the final strike on the girl.

 _ ***CLANG!***_

"It's not over yet…felon."

Nitroplus parried Brave's strike using her sword, and she only held it with one hand.

"What is this…?" Muttered Brave. "You still wanna fight a lost cause, fencer?"

"Like I said…IT IS NOT OVER YET!" Roared Nitroplus before being engulfed by the flames of her sword and easily pushed away Brave's sword.

"I see. You want to fight until the end." Said Brave as he did his fighting stance once more. "Then I shall grant you such honor."

"My friends are not dead yet…." Breathed out Nitroplus.

"You are delusional, fencer." Brave retorted. "With such destruction being brought to this vessel, no one but us could have survived such an explosion from the inside."

"Ame's presence is still inside…." Nitroplus retorted back. "And so are Compile and the little girl. I can feel them still inside..."

"Like I said, you are delusional." Said Brave. "You are just feeling despa-"

 _ ***BLAM!***_

"I am not delusional!" yelled Nitroplus as she jumps on Brave and attacked him with…chainsaws. The very chainsaws that adorned the sides of her waist when transformed.

"What is this…?" Muttered a bewildered Brave as he parried the chainsaw assault of Nitroplus. Her chainsaws were spinning so fast and vigorous that it's making sparks rain everywhere.

"HAAAAAAH!" roared Nitroplus as she pushed more power and force on to her attack.

 _ ***Crack***_

"?! My sword…!" Said Brave in surprise as his sword starts to break down due to Nitroplus' relentless and despair-induced assault using her chainsaws.

"Push throooough!" bellowed Nitroplus, pouring everything she has on her weapons.

 _ ***CRASH!***_

Nitroplus was able to successfully shatter Brave's sword. And in a frenzied assault, she slashes Brave relentlessly with her chainsaws.

"Aaaaaarrrggh!" yelled Brave in pain as he receives tremendous damage from more chainsaw assault from the desperate girl.

"Haaaaaaah!" Roared Nitroplus as she switches weapons from chainsaws to her revolver pistol. This time she fired all of her bullets at the exposed weak spots of a helpless Brave after chipping of some of his armor.

"Gh…this is…unbelievable…." Said Brave weakly as he fell to his knees after the assault given to him by Nitroplus. "You have won…, fencer. D-deliver the final blow…."

"Haah…haaah…. You are quite a formidable swordsman yourself…." Acknowledged Nitroplus as she catches her breath after using all of her energy.

"You may have used a different method to defeat me…but I still see you as a great swordswoman…." Said Brave weakly. "And I would be honored…if you would end my life…using your brilliant crimson sword…."

"Hmm…very well." Replied Nitroplus as she regains her composure. She then tucked away her gun and procured Rawmeat. "Here I go." She then did a swordsman's stance to deliver the final blow on Brave.

"It has been…an honor…." Breathed out Brave as he braces for Nitroplus' attack.

"Haaaaaaaaahh!" Roared Nitroplus as she dashed and slashed down her sword on the weakened felon. And with that, Brave exploded into one big fireball before reverting back into a weapon, a Fury.

"Hmm…I don't sense any evil or animosity on you, and yet…you've become our enemy." Breathed out Nitroplus as she picked up the lone weapon. And now, there was only one thing left to do in her mind. "Ame, I'm coming!"

* * *

With the sword that was once Brave tucked in the belt on her waist, Nitroplus weakly traversed the inferno-like inside of what is left of the ship's bridge and quarters. The battle with Brave did quite a toll on her body. And as she walks further, Nitroplus saw the number of casualties everytime she passed through the ruined ship's quarters. But she's determined to reach the infirmary where Little Rain, Compile and little Yuu are residing.

"Hang on…I'm coming…." Nitroplus muttered weakly as she passes through the burning and smoke-filled corridor towards her destination. But as she walks through, however….

 _ ***BOOM!***_

…a violent explosion occurred within the room Nitroplus passed through, and it sent the already weakened girl flying off course violently, slamming into the opposite steel wall head first.

"Ugh…." Nitroplus mumbled as she tries to regain her composure. But as she does so, she felt something warm flow down from her head to her face. And when she touched the wet stuff and got a good look at it…

"Blood…" Nitroplus weakly muttered. "Got to heal…."

But when Nitroplus looked for her stash of healing herbs, she found out that it wasn't in the small bag in her waist. Her stash was gone. She looked around but alas, it was really gone.

"Tch…I guess I have to move on…." Nitroplus said weakly as she continues to walk on.

But in her current condition, Nitroplus felt like she was walking for hours now. And the further she goes, the dizzier she gets.

"I must be losing a lot of blood in the head…." Nitroplus deduced to the reason why she was feeling dizzy, with her vision slowly blurring a bit now. "Must…not give up…."

A few minutes later, Nitroplus has finally arrived to her destination. And when she looked inside through the blasted door of the infirmary, she saw parts of the infirmary in ruins and the other end inaccessible due to burning debris.

"M-miss…Nitroplus…."

When Nitroplus found the source where the weak voice came from, she vaguely saw Compile at the other end of the infirmary, one leg badly injured. And there she also saw Little Rain, still unconscious and lying down on the floor in front of Compile.

"?! A-Ame…Compile…!" Nitroplus yelled out in alarm but weakly. She can't get to them due to the burning debris in between them.

"Miss Ame is fine, miss Nitroplus..." Compile assured to Nitroplus. "I will handle her but please…save little Yuu…." Compile then pointed out at the other side of the infirmary.

And when Nitroplus weakly looked to where Compile was pointing, there she saw in horror, the little girl unconscious and was about to fall outside the hole from a collapsed wall the previous explosions created.

 _ ***BOOM!***_

Another explosion rocked the ship again, tilting the ruined ship slightly sideways. But due to that, Nitroplus saw the little girl about to slide down the collapsed wall and plunge to the deep water below.

"N-no…!"

And using all the remaining strength from her legs, Nitroplus made a dash for the little girl. And when the unconscious toddler slipped down, she made an effort and jumped for it.

"Gotcha…." Nitroplus breathed out after catching the unconscious little girl. Successful she may be though, she and little Yuu were about to plunge in the water below. And in her weakened condition, swimming to safety was not gonna happen. The possibilities of both of them drowning are big.

"Not gonna happen…."

Mustering all her remaining powers from her Fury, she enclosed the unconscious toddler in an embrace and muttered some words to her Fury in her mind. " _Rawmeat…keep us safe…._ "

And before they both plunged in the water, Nitroplus and the little girl got enveloped by her usual flame barrier. And even though they were in the water now, those flames didn't died out. They continued to protect Nitroplus and the girl from drowning from the water.

However, as the current drags them along, still protected by her flame barrier, Nitroplus could feel her consciousness slipping away due to the head injury she sustained. But she was determined to keep the girl safe. And she was determined to return back to her home and meet Little Rain safe and sound.

But for now, Nitroplus thought in her mind as she is now close in losing consciousness, that it was an impossible thing to do for now.

"Ame…please be safe…." Nitroplus mumbled weakly. "I will get back to you…. I promise that…."

And after saying those, her consciousness slipped away.

Fortunately though, as she loses consciousness, her flames still envelop them, keeping Nitroplus and the girl in her arms safe from the vast sea.

To be continued….


	20. Chapter 20 - Green Heart's Nightmare

Chapter 20 – Green Heart's Nightmare

(This chapter takes place during the ending events of Chapter 15 up to the middle part of Chapter 19)

"To think that they would attack with all their might just moments after their first main assault…." Muttered Vert as she prepares to fly towards the Capital. But she has something to do first before leaving so she heads to the flight deck to make her preparations.

"Either they are suicidal now or they think they could deal with us easily after the first main encounter, huh?" Said Harley, following Vert from behind.

"I think it's the latter, Harley." Vert replied. "If they are brave enough to send out all in their arsenal, then that only means they are confident. And if they are confident to do this, then that means they have an ace up their sleeves."

"An ace, huh." Repeated Harley. "Maybe they found a strong Fury or ancient items or something."

"Whatever they have brewed or found, we have to stop them before we get overwhelmed." Said Vert in a serious tone as she and Harley finally arrived at the ship's flight deck. "I just hope Vio is able to hold off the enemy advance until I arrive."

"Vert, look at the Capital…." Harley told her while pointing at the direction where the Capital is located. "There's some smoke rising up from the buildings…. They're under siege already?!"

"Then we need to hurry." Concluded Vert as she summons a magic circle underneath her feet and joined her hands in some sort of prayer. Then slowly, some sort of translucent field in the shape of a dome started appearing and enclosing the entire ship all around.

"Oh. I forgot you always use that protection thingy of yours before leaving." Said Harley in amusement. "Better not leave home without protection, huh."

"Precautions are necessary during these situations, after all." Replied Vert as she finishes the conjuring of her Divine Protection magic. "Now then…." She then proceeded to transform in her CPU form.

"All set now?" Asked Harley casually as she brings out her pistol form Fury.

"All set. Let's go." Green Heart told her as she starts to fly a bit. She then proceeded to offer her hands to Harley for the latter to hold on.

"Time to kick some ASIC butts~." Muttered Harley as she holds on tightly to Green Heart's hands before they finally flew away.

They haven't gone very far away from the ship though when they saw someone flying towards the ship just a bit far away from their flight path.

"Hey, that person seems familiar..." Harley told Green Heart while still holding on to her arms as they fly by. But Green Heart got a better glimpse of the person who is flying fast towards their ship.

"It's Nitroplus." Green Heart told Harley. "And in her arms is Ame or Little Rain. I think she's injured."

"Whoa. You were able to tell from a distance?" Asked a perplexed Harley. "Anyway, aren't we gonna let them notice us or what?"

"No, it is best if we leave them be." Green Heart replied. "If Ame is indeed injured, then it is best to let Nitroplus fly by and give Ame the proper treatment when she gets to the ship."

"As you say so." Harley said nonchalantly.

"Hold on tight now. I'm gonna fly faster." Green Heart warned Harley before adding more speed to her flight.

* * *

And when they arrived at the Capital, they were met with utter destruction of some of the residential areas of the poorest continent of Gamindustri. From a distance, they could see a huge black, robot-like being rampaging on buildings and against fighting soldiers. And on the other end of the town, there seems to be also a commotion happening.

"Oho. It's that Judge fellow again." Muttered Harley as she spotted Judge. "He's being his usual frenzied self."

"This is unacceptable…." Breathed out Green Heart as she gaze upon the ruined town. "But…how were these felons able to attack directly without meeting the defense perimeter that I've set up?"

"Hmhm. I believe I have the answer to that, CPU…."

And all of a sudden, Magic suddenly descended slowly just above where Green Heart and Harley were floating."We've meet again, Green Heart of Leanbox. Hmhm…."

Green Heart was baffled upon seeing Magic descend just below them. In her mind, she couldn't believe that she hadn't felt Magic's presence until she showed up herself in front of them. And even though Magic was in a good distance away from them, Green Heart can feel that there was something different from Magic's presence. She felt that Magic's aura seems more ominous than the last time they fought.

"You're…more powerful than before now…." Muttered Green Heart. "Is this why you were able to send those felons directly at the Capital and attack from within…?"

"Hmhm. Hahaha. You're ability to accurately deduce impresses me, CPU." Magic told Green Heart amusingly. "Clearly an intelligent one."

"You didn't answer my question…." Green Heart retorted.

"Hmhm. Persistent…." Magic replied unamusingly. "Very well. I can tell you now that I am unlike the last time we fought. Today, I can assure to you…that ASIC will come out as victorious on this land. And soon…" She then did her usual battle stance. "…the entire Gamindustri. And as for the two of you and the rest of your men, this place will be your graves."

 _ ***BOOM!***_

A sudden explosion from the other side of the town distracted the three of them.

"Hmhm. It seems your other human friend with no means to defeat my felon is doing well to fend him off…." Muttered Magic as she looked at the place where the explosion happened.

"?! Vio…." Whispered Green Heart, realizing that her friend is down there and probably trying her best to survive the fight against a felon. "Harley…, I need you to assist Vio down there…."

"Huh? Are you sure you don't need back up while fighting her?" Asked Harley with a bit of concern.

"Vio needs help more than me. I can deal with Magic just fine." Answered Green Heart.

"Okay then, Vert." Replied Harley. "I can make a soft landing from this high up so you can let go of me from here."

"I'm not gonna let you." Magic told them before flying at a rapid pace at them, her deadly scythe in hand.

"I'm letting go now, Harley." Green Heart told her.

"Ready when you are, Vert." Harley replied.

And as Magic draws near….

"Now!" Green Heart lets go of Harley, and in just a few seconds pace in between, she procured her spear and immediately halted Magic's attack and making sure they are locked in combat. And as assured by the girl earlier, Harley was able to safely land on the ground using a gun fire from her Fury.

"Hehe. Quick reflexes, CPU." Muttered Magic as her weapon is still locked in with Green Heart's weapon.

"I'm not gonna let you live any longer, you fiend…!" Green Heart told Magic as she struggles a bit to keep their weapons locked until she is sure that Harley is a safe distance away. "After what you did to this place, you need to be eliminated!"

"Hmhm. I wonder about that…." Magic told Green Heart before unleashing tremendous amounts of her dark energy to push away Green Heart from her.

"Gaaah!" yelled Green Heart after getting shoved away by Magic's sudden outburst of dark energy. And before she could even fully regain her stance, Magic suddenly attacked Green Heart with her scythe in a frenzy, and Green Heart tried her best to parry all of Magic's assault.

" _Not good…she's even stronger than before…!_ " Green Heart thought in her mind as she keeps on parrying Magic's rapid assault using her scythe. " _I have to get a good distance away from her and attack her from there using my skills…!_ "

 _ ***BOOM!***_

"?! Trick…." Magic breathed out, stopping her assault as she got distracted by another sudden explosion from the place where Harley went.

"Now… _Sikkim Bind!_ " Taking advantage of a distracted Magic, Green Heart created a whirlwind to throw away Magic to a good distance.

"And… _Sylhet Spear!_ " Green Heart muttered loudly as she fires her usual large spear towards a still disoriented Magic.

"How naive…." Magic breathed out before swinging her scythe with all her might at Green Heart's large spear and destroying it. And using the momentum of her swing, she was able to regain her stance.

"Tch...you really have grown stronger." Green Heart said, frustrated that her attack did not hit.

"I congratulate you, though. Seems your friends successfully defeated one of my felons." Magic told Green Heart nonchalantly.

"Hehe. You don't seem to mind losing one of your felons." Green Heart retorted at Magic.

"That is because I have no time to mourn for them." Magic retorted back. "I'd rather spend my energy on killing you than to mourn for the weak." She then proceeded to fly again towards Green Heart with killing intent.

" _In-Between Spear!_ " Chanted Green Heart, firing multiple spears towards Magic.

"Hmhm." Magic snickered as she easily slashed down all the spears Green Heart fired at her while she flies towards her.

"Have some more!" Shouted Green Heart as she fires more of the spears, this time with more added force. But Magic was still able to repel all of her attacks away until she got near Green Heart and….

"Get blown away…CPU."

With one swift slash of her scythe plus the momentum of her flight, Magic was successfully able to slash away at Green Heart. And even though Green Heart was able to parry it, the tremendous force sent by Magic to her via the attack was enough to blow her away down the ground, towards the woods.

"Aaaarrrghh!" yelled Green Heart as the force of Magic's attack hurt her. And after she hurtles down the ground, she crashed violently on the trees of the woods until she crash landed on the ground with a painful impact.

"Gh…" Breathed out Green Heart in pain as she slowly stands up, using her spear as support.

"Hmhm. Pinned down on the ground, I see."

When Green Heart looked up, she saw Magic descending down before elegantly landing down on the ground, just a few feet away from Green Heart.

"I'm not going to stay pinned down, though…." Muttered Green Heart as she does her fighting stance to show to Magic that she is not about to give up. "Now I know how stronger you really have become, I'm can now adjust to your new strength."

"Hmhm. Then show me what you really got." Teased Magic as she swiftly attacks Green Heart with the same amounts of force she used to throw her away earlier.

"Ghhh…!" Gulped Green Heart as she parries Magic's attack with all of her strength. The attack did not threw her away this time, but the force was still enough to drag her feet away from where she originally stood.

"Hmhm. Good that you are able to brace for it but…" Magic then breaks away from contact and flew up high. "Now die." She then procured several knife-like projectiles made from her dark energy and sent them raining down on Green Heart.

" _Broken Fang!_ " Chanted Green Heart as she raises up the spear in her hand and let it spin very rapidly on top of her to repel the hail of projectiles that rained down on her.

"Hehehe. I can keep this up, you know…." Magic told Green Heart as she increased the density of the projectiles to increase its effect on Green Heart's defense.

"Must…hold on…." Breathed out Green Heart as she tries her best to defend and break free from the raining projectiles.

 _ ***Crash***_

Green Heart's spear suddenly failed her when it broke down due to the intensity of the raining projectiles.

"No…." breathed out Green Heart as she watched in horror more projectiles come raining down on her.

And not a moment too soon, the area surrounding Green Heart got covered in dust from the earth as the projectiles keep raining down in Green Heart's location, with her in the middle of the barrage.

"?!..." Magic then suddenly stopped her assault when she felt the familiar presence of one of his felons disappear. "Judge has been defeated…."

Down on the ground, when all the dust cleared out, Green Heart was lying on the ground, arms crossed over her head to cover it while her legs are in a curled up position to protect the rest of her body from the assault.

"I commend your comrades once again, CPU." Magic told Green Heart as she slowly descends back to the ground just near where Green Heart is lying down. "To think they were able to penetrate Judge's thick armor and defeat him…, I am impressed."

"Ghh…hehe. That is for….underestimating our forces." Green Heart told Magic weakly as she tries to stand up.

"But sadly, it is the end for you." Declared Magic as she procures a tiny, crimson colored crystal shard the size of a fingernail and as thick as a needle.

And it's presence alone made quite a toll on Green Heart as she felt her energy slowly leave her.

"I am unable to kill you as long as that Memory Core inside you is still active." Magic told Green Heart. "But if I embed this on to your body, it will restrain your Memory Core allowing me to deliver the killing blow upon you."

"Y-you won't have your way!" Shouted Green Heart as she tries her best to fight off the effects of the crystal in Magic's hand.

"Too bad it's effects are short lived, thanks to its minuscule size." Magic sighed. "The same way goes for the one that I…consumed."

"Th-that is the reason…why you became stronger…." Green Heart said weakly while she struggles to fight off the effects of the dark crystal.

"True." Magic agreed teasingly. "But the effect's lifespan is enough for me…to kill you."

Like a bullet from a gun, Magic fired the crystal shard at Green Heart's body, instantly embedding itself.

"AAAAAARRRRRRGH!" yelled Green Heart as the energy around her body got drained away from her painfully, forcing her to revert back to her human form.

"That is right~." Magic muttered gleefully. "Wither in pain before I take your life."

"Haaah…haah…." Breathed out Vert heavily as she catches her breath. But she can still feel the dark crystal inside her body drains away the energy from her Memory Core.

"Over already…? What a killjoy…." Sighed Magic in disappointment, hoping for Vert to feel more pain. "Oh well…time to die now, I guess." She declared as she raises her scythe to deliver the killing blow on Vert.

 _ ***BLAM!***_

Suddenly, an attack from nowhere made Magic jump away to evade. The attack made quite the dust cloud in between Magic and Vert. And when the dust clouds cleared up, it revealed two people both armed with swords and they are blocking Vert from Magic's view. One was a man wearing an all-white attire while the other was a woman wearing a black, gothic dress.

"Fencers…." Breathed out Magic in slight frustration.

"And to think you just said not to interfere, Sherman." Said the woman Fencer.

"I know, Marianna. But I just couldn't stand evil winning here." Replied Sherman. "And besides, did you not told me many times that it is you who wants to defeat lady Green Heart by your hands? You can't do that if she dies right now. Hmhm."

"Oh be quiet." Replied Marianna frustratingly at Sherman.

"Now…leave this felon to me." Sherman told Marianna. "Take lady Green Heart to a safe distance and take off that dark shard in her body."

"Huh? Why me?" Asked a baffled Marianna.

"Just do it." Sherman answered seriously, taking Marianna aback a bit.

"I'm not gonna let you two do as you please." Magic said before attacking head on.

 _ ***Clash!***_

However, Sherman was quick on his feet and was able to counter Magic. "Marianna, go now."

"Tch…fine!" Hissed Marianna as she chants Fairize before carrying a badly weakened Vert and flying away as swift as possible.

* * *

Marianna decided to bring Vert by the shoreline as she thought that it was the safest place to take Vert at.

"M-Marianna…?" Breathed out Vert weakly.

"Quiet you." Marianna told Vert as she leans her down slowly by a rock. "I don't know why I am doing this to you…, but it seems they need you alive if that felon needs to be defeated."

"Th-thank you…Marianna…." Muttered Vert weakly.

"Now…let me check on that shard thing." Marianna told Vert as she rips the part of Vert's dress where the shard hit. "Huh. Seems it didn't went in too deep."

And using her gloved hands, Marianna yanked the dark shard off Vert's body with ease. However, that did not prevent Vert from screaming in pain for a bit.

"Hmhm. It is refreshing to hear your agonized voice there." Marianna told Vert a bit menacingly.

"Y-you did that on purpose…" Vert told Marianna back. But Vert wasn't mad at the girl because of it. She was in fact happy to see Marianna.

However….

 _ ***BOOM!***_

An explosion across the waters made the both of them look at the direction where the huge explosion happened.

"What…was that?" Asked Marianna as she saw where the explosion happened.

"No…it can't be…!" Muttered Vert as she struggles to get up and see for herself what really happened.

And there just beyond the waters, Vert saw in intense horror Leanbox's flagship in flames,with some more small explosions erupting from the other parts of the ship.

"N-no…" breathed out Vert weakly as she fell to her knees in defeat. "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

To be continued….


	21. Chapter 21 - Hope Amidst the Chaos

Chapter 21 – Hope Amidst the Chaos

Vert watched in tremendous horror as the XBC13 Elite goes up in flames in the middle of the sea. The thing that she protected the most is now smoldering in a fiery inferno. However, something else gives greater concern to Vert than just the ship exploding.

"No…! YUUUUUU!" Screamed Vert to the top of her lungs as she weakly tries to stand up and attempts to access her powers.

"Ghh…come on. Transform…TRANSFORM ME!" Vert yelled at herself as she tries her best to access her powers. Unfortunately, some sort of force within her was suppressing her powers. "Why can't I access the Memory Core's powers…?!" She cried out, making her suddenly kneel down in surrender. In her mind, she can't bear how useless she has become during the time of need.

"Seeing you in despair like this…, it is quite relieving to my soul." Muttered Marianna nonchalantly. "Although I'd rather you be the-" But she got interrupted by Vert as the latter, still on her knees, suddenly holds on to Marianna's feet, crying her heart out.

"Marianna… _*sob*_ , I beg of you…save them for me." Vert pleaded to Marianna.

"Tch…why do you think I'd do that for you?" Hissed Marianna at Vert as she rudely kicked the badly weakened CPU away from her.

"There's an innocent child in that ship, Marianna!" yelled Vert. "And the head of this town is there as well. Please, I sincerely beg of you Marianna, save them for me…. Save Compile, Ame, and… _*sob*_ the little girl named Yuu…."

Vert mentioning something about a little girl being trapped in the wrecked ship somehow has taken Marianna aback a bit. But she stiffened up her resolve. Never will she oblige to the person who left her for dead before, Marianna thought in her mind. "No Vert. This is your problem. Isn't it your duty to keep everyone safe here? But look, this town is in ruins. You failed to save it. Many men, women and children suffered here. You failed to save them. And now…you've failed to save those dear to you. In short, you've failed to become a CPU here."

All Vert could do was kneel there in utter defeat as Marianna's words circulate in her mind. Slowly, she realized that Marianna was right. She did failed to save the people of the Capital in Little Rain's stead. She swore to prevent ASIC from even reaching the Capital. She swore to Little Rain that the Capital would come to no harm.

But what happened was the opposite. At first they were able to repel the enemy forces from their first wave of attack. But now, the entire Capital falls to ruins. The felons were able to break through and wrecked havoc on the buildings and houses, causing so many lives to be lost.

And now, the ship Vert confidently thinks is the most safest place to take refuge in is now under fire. She then realized that her Divine Protection field got negated after Magic attacked her with that crystal shard, causing her powers to leave her and that it is also suppressing the Memory Core from making her recover her lost powers. And even though Marianna pulled out the dark shard off her body, Vert could still feel its suppressing energy lingering around her body.

"Quite a powerful piece of crystal, isn't it." Marianna muttered as she closely examine the dark crystal shard in her hand. "It is just the length of a fingernail and the thickness of two needles side by side…, and yet, it is able to weaken a CPU. This must be truly an artifact of darkness if it is able to cripple you into that state, Vert."

However, unable to contain the despair Vert is feeling inside her plus the weakening effect of the dark shard still lingering in her body, she fainted on the spot, her face wet with her tears.

"Hmm…how the mighty has fallen." Breathed out Marianna as she just looked at the unconscious CPU. But as she does so…

 _ ***Crack***_

"Hmm?"

The crystal shard in Marianna's hand suddenly cracked apart and disintegrated on its own.

"Huh. It must have only a short lifespan." Marianna said like she's a bit disappointed that the item in her hand broke on its own.

"Vert!"

When Marianna turned around to see who called for Vert, she saw Harley running toward their direction along with Bahus in his physical form following her from behind.

"?! What happened to lady Vert?" Asked a worried Bahus when they got near.

"Yeah, what happened to her?" A beaten up Harley followed up.

"Your CPU got defeated by the enemy leader." Marianna answered to them casually.

"Wh-what…? H-how did that happened?" Bahus asked more, baffled at what he just heard.

"She's not…y-you know…?" Harley hesitantly asked before approaching the unconscious CPU.

"No. She's not dead if that is what you are thinking." Marianna answered to Harley's suspicion. "And she got defeated after the enemy used some sort of dark artifact against your CPU."

"Dark artifact?" Harley said out of curiosity. "Where is that item now?"

"It's gone. It disintegrated on its own a few minutes after I pulled it out of her body." Marianna answered, slowly getting annoyed now after answering a lot of their questions.

Unexpected by them, Vert suddenly moved her head a bit as she slowly regains consciousness.

"Vert…!" Harley blurted out as she approached the weakened CPU. She then hoisted Vert's head a bit and rested it on her lap.

"H-harley…?" Vert muttered weakly as she tries to focus her eyes on Harley's face.

"Heh. You're gonna be okay, Vert. We're here now." Harley assured to Vert.

"But…the XBC13…" Vert pointed out weakly.

"Yes, we already saw what happened to it, lady Vert." Bahus reluctantly said.

"Please, Harley…, Bahus, go to the ship. Save Compile…. Save Ame…. Save little Yuu…." Vert told them while crying.

"We…we already tried to go there, Vert." Harley told Vert. "But…there we haven't found any intact transport to get there yet."

"Why not use your ability to fly?" Marianna asked Harley nonchalantly. "You can use fairize now, I hope."

"Yes, she can now. But…her battle with one of the felons made her use most of the Fury's energy." Bahus answered for Harley. "And not to mention that we also backed up miss Vio along with what remains of the Leanbox forces in fighting against enemy fighters and monsters."

"So as of now, I still have enough energy to use my Fury, but not enough for me to fairize." Harley explained.

"Then what are you two doing here at the other end of town?" Asked Marianna inquisitively.

"Well we-"

But Bahus got cut off when Vert suddenly started bawling on Harley's lap.

"H-harley… _*sob*_ , I- I failed to save this town…." Cried out Vert in Harley's lap. "And i…also failed to protect our only safe haven…! Harley… _*sob*_ , I failed to defeat the enemy…!"

"Ehehe…Vert, what are you talking about…?" Harley asked Vert half amusingly. "Failing to defeat the enemy? Vert, we're actually winning…!"

Hearing this from Harley seemed to have piqued Marianna's interest as she finally started to listen to their conversation.

" _*sniff*_ …but… how are we…winning…?" Vert asked while still sobbing.

"Vert, Vio was able to defeat that felon with the long tongue." Harley started sharing the good news to Vert. "And I was able to defeat that frenzied, black felon as well."

"And not to mention that Harley here and Vio also did a great number against the incoming wave of enemy forces after defeating the felons, lady Vert." Bahus added.

"And remember, Sachie, or Nitroplus, is onboard the ship." Harley mentioned. "I'm sure she is trying her best now to defend the XBC13 from getting completely destroyed. So, rest assured that Sachie is able to protect Compile, Ame and little Yuu aboard that ship."

"You guys…." Sobbed Vert as the words of the two is slowly draining away the despair she was feeling.

"Don't lose hope, lady Vert. " Bahus told her. "A lot of chaos may have taken place right now, but as long as we still have those that needed protecting, all is not lost yet."

"Yeah, Vert. It's too early to give up now." Harley encouraged the weakened CPU. "Not now that we are actually winning against ASIC now."

"Hmhm. So you think you're winning against ASIC now, huh." Marianna told Harley amusingly.

"Well,you can barely hear any loud firing weapons along the horizon now, can't you?" Bahus replied to Marianna.

"Well…maybe they're just retreating." Marianna argued.

"Retreat as they like, but their top notch forces are mostly defeated now." Harley told Marianna. "Vio actually told me to return and find you, Vert. So that I may be able to assist you even with me lacking in enough energy to fairize."

"Vio is…?" Vert started.

"Still fighting off the waves of enemy soldiers and monsters on the other end of this continent along with your soldiers." Harley answered Vert's unfinished question. "I was backing Vio up. And if she's confident enough to not need my support and made me go look for you, then that means the fight on the other side of this continent is in the bag~."

"Vio…please be safe." Vert muttered hopefully. "As for you, Harley and Bahus, thank you…for being here with me…, for continuing to support me."

"Lady Vert, our faith lies in you and Celestia." Bahus told Vert confidently.

"Yeah, Bahus is right. I have my faith in you as well." Harley agreed with Bahus. "So get your rear up and fight that lady felon~!"

"And I believe…that miss Vio, Nitroplus, nurse Compile, lady Little Rain, your soldiers, and even the little girl named Yuu, have all their faith in you." Bahus told Vert as encouragement. "So believe in us, lady Vert. Believe in all those who have their faith in you."

And like a curse being broken, Vert's body suddenly glowed a bit. And slowly but surely, all of her wounds and bruises healed up.

"Hmph. I guess her powers are back now." Muttered Marianna a bit disappointingly.

And slowly, Vert stood up on her own.

"You good to go now, Vert?" Harley asked as she too stood up.

"Well, I may have been able to heal myself, but the energy within my Memory Core is still insufficient for me to transform into my CPU form." Vert replied.

"Then let me and Harley share to you our remaining powers, lady Vert." Bahus suggested.

"Huh? We can do that, Bahus?" Asked Harley.

"Well, theoretically." Bahus answered. "The Fury you use does give out an aura of light vibe, indicating that it is one of the many weapons goddess Celestia used against the vile goddess. Unlike hers, though, that gives off quite the negative aura." He added while pointing out at Marianna, in which the latter found it to be rude after being pointed out.

"That settles it, then." Harley happily agreed as Bahus transforms into weapon form and transported himself into Harley's hands. "Go ahead, Vert. Take what remains of my powers." She gestured to Vert as she stretches out her hands while holding on to her Fury for Vert to hold on.

"Are you sure about this, Harley?" Vert asked Harley.

"Yeah, I'm okay with it." Harley replied with confidence.

" _No worries, lady Vert. As long as the wielder of the Fury still lives, it will still be able to replenish its powers back._ " Bahus assured to Vert. " _So go ahead, lady Vert. Take all of what remains of this Fury's powers. You need it more than we do now._ "

"Harley…, Bahus…, really thank you so much." Vert happily thanked them.

Without holding back, Vert held Harley's hands with the Fury and slowly she siphoned the powers from within it.

Minutes later, Vert was able to completely absorb all of the powers of Harley's Fury.

"There. Are you still fine, Harley? Bahus?" Vert asked the two of them.

"Well…" Harley then tested out her Fury on the ground. A bit surprisingly, it was still able to fire like a gun would do. "Seems my Fury is still usable."

" _Just don't expect to be able to use any sort of magic skills for the time being, Harley._ " Bahus reminded her.

"Okay." Harley replied simply. "So, can you transform now, Vert?"

And without answering Harley's question, Vert simply transformed into her CPU form in front of Harley.

"Nice~. We are back in business!" Harley happily cheered as Vert was finally able to transform into Green Heart once more.

"It is all thanks to you, Harley and Bahus." Green Heart gratefully replied.

"So…what do we do now, boss?" Harley asked a bit teasingly.

"I would suggest that you find a working vessel and head for the XBC13, Harley." Green Heart told her. "Please, if a fight is still going on in the ship, assist Nitroplus. And…please, rescue as many people as you can in there."

"You can leave it to us, Vert." Harley replied with confidence.

"Hmhm. Now go, and be safe." Green Heart bid to them.

"Good luck to you too, Vert." Harley replied as she heads on her way to find a working vessel to use to get to the still burning ship.

"Well well. The CPU of Leanbox has returned to her full glory in a short notice." Marianna muttered cockily.

"Marianna…." Breathed out Green Heart. "Still…I thank you too for bringing me to a safer location. I might have met my end there if it weren't for you and your other Fencer companion."

"Thank Sherman, not me." Marianna told Green Heart.

"Still…I need your assistance in this battle, Marianna." Green Heart told her. "Help me defeat the felon named Magic once and for all."

"No. Not gonna happen." Marianna replied instantly.

"Please, Marianna. Do it not for me…, but for the sake of Gamindustri's future." Green Heart reasoned with her. "Do it for the future of the children that will continue to live in fear if ASIC and its leader is left unbeaten."

Marianna just stared in Green Heart's eyes for a brief moment. And just so when she looked like that she is gonna argue once more….

"Fine. But I'm doing this for Dorfa's sake." Marianna told Green Heart straight to the point before walking away. "Besides, I need to back up Sherman anyway…."

"Oh Marianna…." Breathed out Green Heart with a smile.

But before she heads out, Green Heart took a glance at the still burning ship in the middle of the sea. She can't help but worry still about the people aboard it, especially those dear to her.

"I really hope that they are safe in there." Green Heart muttered to herself as she slowly ascends to follow Marianna. "And I hope that…this war ends sooner. So one has to suffer anymore."

To be continued….


	22. Chapter 22 - Rescue Mission

Chapter 22 – Rescue Mission

"And there they go, Bahus." Harley muttered to her Fury as she saw Green Heart and Marianna fly off towards the direction where the battles are taking place while searching the coastline for any more salvageable boats to travel towards the XBC13 Elite shipwreck. What is surprising about it though, is the fact that no matter how badly damaged it got, it remained afloat in the middle of the water.

"Good thing that ship proved to be more durable, huh Bahus." Harley said while still looking around for any signs of usable boats or even anything that could take them to the wrecked ship. And as she looks by the coastline, there she saw along the way some survivors of the assault from the felons. When she got near, Harley could see in the looks of the now homeless citizens of the capital the sadness and despair of losing not only their homes and livelihood but also loved ones. What crushed Harley's heart, however, was when she saw a few children, not older than 10 years, with bruises and skin injuries that could get worse if not dealt with soon. Her instincts kicking in, Harley gets near the children and opened her first aid kit bag dangling on her waist. The children and some adults were reluctant at first and eyed Harley suspiciously.

"It's okay. I'm one of the good guys here." Harley told them as she carefully approached an injured girl and patted her head gently. "No worries. I will patch you little guys up in no time."

She then pulled some medical bandages from her kit, some disinfectant and a couple of her own healing herb capsules.

" _You're gonna make them take your medicine, Harley?_ " Asked Bahus.

"Well yeah. Healing herbs work well with ordinary people too, after all." Harley replied before making the children take some of the medicine.

* * *

And after more than half an hour later, Harley was able to tend to the children's injuries. It did cost her a couple of her own healing herb capsules but she didn't mind at all. For her, five capsules are enough to survive this ordeal for any longer. And Harley's actions seems to have earned her the trust of the survivors taking refuge by the coastlines.

"Thank you miss. Thank you for tending the little ones injuries." An elderly woman told Harley with gratitude.

"Well I did what I had to do." Replied Harley bashfully. "I'm sorry if I can't tend to all of you. And…that I don't have any food to offer you guys."

"No it is okay, miss. You did what you can." Said a thin man who sounds just as glad as the elder woman earlier. "We are just glad that the children are safe from any more harm. That alone gives peace in our minds."

"But…the firing of weapons…and the rampaging giants…." Muttered an elderly man.

"Those rampaging felons from earlier, they've been dealt with now." Harley told them with a cheerful voice.

"Is that really true?" A woman asked Harley, hoping what she just said was real.

"Yeah it's the truth." Harley answered. "You do all notice that most of the racket nearby subsided, right? Hehe."

"Come to think of it…, she's right!" Said the woman from earlier.

"Does this mean we are winning…?" Asked the elderly woman, unable to contain her anticipation.

"Yes ma'am, we are slowly but surely winning against ASIC." Harley answered with great positivity. "Actually, all that is left to deal with now is two more felons and the rest of their remaining forces, in which where the great general of Leanbox is surely wiping them out with ease~."

And with that announcement, the survivors can't help themselves but cheer loudly and gleefully after finding out that the forces that caused them a lot of suffering is about to get defeated.

"Now then, can anyone direct me to a working boat that has a motor on it?" Harley asked to them.

"Well…I have a fishing boat." Answered the thin man. "I'm glad that I was able to set it aside the shore before all hell broke loose here. You can use it if you like."

"Yeah, I appreciate the offer." Harley told the thin man. "I need to use that so I can reach our ship and rescue some people there that may be in trouble abandoning the ship."

And after just a few minutes, the boat was prepared for Harley to use. And not wasting anymore time, Harley fired the motor up with the help of the owner and set off towards the wrecked XBC13 ship.

"Hehe. Some crazy experience this has become, huh Bahus." Harley said with a sigh.

" _Yes it was._ " Bahus replied. " _I did expected things like these to happen to us when we decided to come with them._ "

"And all I wanted was to find more Furies in that poor continent." Harley said while still manning the motor of the boat, slowly approaching the ship. "But look at what happened, you got killed and got accustomed to a Fury that you hid from me for a few days until you used it. And as for me, well…, I did kinda got killed and turned into some sort of zombie that needs to be fed well as to not make me lose my sanity and gobble up the first pile of meat that I see, human or not. That FL-Virus is really something, huh. And not to mention that I have to consume some grass just to heal any forms of injury in my body. Talk about high maintenance."

" _I know that it is gonna be a tough life for you from now on, Harley, but try your best to still live to your fullest._ " Bahus encouraged her.

"Actually, I don't really see it as something that hindered my way of living." Harley replied with a grin. "So what if I got turned into this. As long as I do all of the maintenance stuff, I can live on for as long as I like. Then that makes me some sort of immortal, right?"

" _Hehe. Yes, seems like it._ " Bahus muttered amusingly. " _I'm glad you're having such a positive mind, Harley._ "

"Well being negative about stuff won't help me one bit, after all." Harley replied before noticing that they were almost there. "If only I still have enough energy to use and access fairize, getting there would have been much faster."

" _Look ahead Harley, lifeboats._ " Bahus mentioned.

And there they were. A couple of lifeboats can be seen already floating on the water with some of the ship's crew who survived the ship's explosion alrealdy onboard. Some of the lifeboats are still being hoisted down. And as Harley's boat got near, she looked carefully at the lifeboats to see if Little Rain, Compile, little Yuu and Nitroplus are aboard in any of them. But as the last lifeboat with passengers was hoisted down, with no signs of the people she was looking for, Harley decided to ask some people on the lifeboats.

"Hey, you there soldier, have you seen three girls with a little kid along?" Harley questioned to a soldier aboard the nearest lifeboat to her. "One looks like a priestess, one is the head nurse of your infirmary, one is a blue haired girl with a black jacket and the kid has light purple hair, about two years old."

"Sorry ma'am, but this is all the survivors that we could gather altogether." Replied the soldier."If ever there are anyone still left inside, they are in inaccessible areas so rescuing them may prove impossible in the ship's condition."

"Hehe. You gave up way too quickly, soldier." Harley told the soldier with a bit of a shaming tone. She then resumed with her plan to board the ship and find the girls.

"Hey it's dangerous to board the ship now!" The soldier whom Harley spoke to yelled at her. "It might make another explosion more and finally sink!"

"Oh don't worry about me!" Harley yelled back in an cheerful tone. "I can handle a ticking timebomb even as big as this! And I won't take too long! I am just gonna rescue some friends still trapped in there! Lady Green Heart's orders!" She added the last one, making the soldier who is planning on stopping her think twice after hearing that it was her lady's orders.

"Now then…." Harley then approached a still dangling thick, metal cable where one of the lifeboats was attached to earlier. "This is gonna be a steep climb up."

" _I hope you have a better hand grip, Harley._ " Bahus hoped.

"Of course I do." Harley answered confidently. "And besides, I'm not that heavy."

And without wasting anymore time, Harley gripped the thick, metal cable with her two gloved hands and started climbing up.

After a few minutes of climbing with surprisingly no slip ups, Harley managed to reach the deck of the ship. And when she got a good look at it, she saw what kind of devastation occurred to it.

"It is way worse than I ever thought it would be…." Harley commented after seeing the condition of the entire ship's deck and bridge.

" _I just wish they are still okay within the wreckage._ " Bahus said in a worried tone.

"They are safe within that wreckage, Bahus." Harley assured her companion. "I can feel it." She then headed towards the ruined bridge of the ship to find and rescue the four girls in distress.

* * *

It took a while for Harley to be able to traverse the ruined bridge of the ship. For her it was like traversing a burning jungle made out of metal. But in the end she managed to get to her destination without receiving any forms of injuries even if the ship swayed violently sometimes. When she reached the infirmary, there she saw the still unconscious Little Rain accompanied by an injured Compile at the other end of the room. In between them were a lot of burning debris, making it difficult for Harley to get through to them. Harley can also hear Compile weakly sobbing, which meant something bad may have happened. But Harley cleared her mind off about that bad feeling and instead focused on figuring out how to get pass through the burning debris in order for her to reach the two girls.

"Hey Compile, hang in there! I'm gonna save you two there!" Harley yelled at the sobbing nurse.

"?! _*sob*_ m-miss Harley…?" Sobbed a surprised Compile.

"Aha. How convenient…." Breathed out Harley as she found a decently sized tank of fire extinguisher roll out from the corridor outside the infirmary. After grabbing on to it before it rolls away any further, Harley then proceeded to extinguish the flames using the extinguisher on the debris blocking her from reaching the two girls. "Luckily this rolled out from nowhere…. Just hang on for a bit more, Compile. I'm almost there."

"Miss nitroplus… _*sob*_ and…and…. _*sob*_ …." Sobbed Compile weakly before losing consciousness.

"Oh shoot…!" Muttered Harley as she saw Compile became limp. Fortunately, she was finally able to put out the fire from the debris in a short time. "Bahus, quick! Help me clear a path!"

" _Got it!_ " Bahus answered before assuming his human form and using all his physical strength in clearing a path for them to reach the two injured girls.

And when the path got cleared, they both wasted no time and went to the two girls.

"Oh man…. Compile has one badly swollen leg here." Harley mentioned in a worried tone after seeing Compile's injured leg.

"An obvious sign of a bone fracture." Bahus told Harley. "Now quickly, I'll carry nurse Compile while you carry lady Little Rain."

"Okay." Replied Harley before carrying the unconscious leader of the Capital in a piggybank ride position. "But what about Sachie and the little girl?"

"We didn't see them along the way. But miss Nitroplus is a capable fencer. I believe she already rescued the little girl beforehand." Bahus concluded.

"Well I hope you are right there." Harley hoped. "I'm good to go, Bahus."

"Same here." Bahus replied after carefully carrying Compile. "Now lets abandon ship!"

"Roger!"

And after another grueling task of getting through the wreck while trying their best to balance themselves as the ship kept on swaying with the waves of the water and a few more minor explosions from the ship's hull, Harley and Bahus were finally able to reach the ship's deck.

"Look, there are still some lifeboats left on the other side of the ship." Bahus pointed out.

 _ ***BOOM!***_

Suddenly, a huge explosion rocked the ship from below. Fortunately for the two, they managed to maintain their balance even if the ship swayed violently once more.

"This tub won't last too long. Let's get to one of them lifeboats!" Harley told Bahus.

And when they climbed aboard one of the lifeboats with their respective unconscious girls, the ship got rocked once more by another explosion from below.

"Tch…does this ship really have a lot of explosive stuff to keep it exploding randomly on different places?!" Harley screamed out in a panic as she and Bahus hurriedly hoists down their lifeboat down.

"Must be the ship's battery of ammunitions and other explosives…!" Bahus replied in a panic as well. "The fire must have reached that place somehow…!"

 _ ***BOOM!***_

Another explosion occurred, making their lifeboat sway and hit the walls of the ship. Fortunately their lifeboat remained intact after violently hitting the ship.

*Snap!* *Snap!*

"Oh snaaaaap!" Harley screamed out loud as the violent rocking of their still hanging lifeboat caused the cables holding it up to snap, making them and their lifeboat fall towards the water below with a splash.

"Y-you don't have to be literal about it, Harley…." Breathed out Bahus as they regain their composure after being thankful that their lifeboat remained intact after splashing down on the water from such a height.

"What…? Because the cables 'snapped'…? Hehe…." Harley breathed out in relief as well. "Well, we all seem to be accounted for here. Shall we head to shore and tend to these two?"

"Sure thing, Harley." Bahus agreed on before reaching out to grab on to the boat's own paddles and started rowing them. "Well we did quite a successful rescue mission, huh."

"Heh. I guess so." Harley replied. "But if Vert offers me a position within her ranks, I'm gonna refuse if that is what she is thinking after all these fight that we did against the enemies."

"Why not?" Asked Bahus as he continues to row their boat towards the safety of the shore ahead.

"I still pretty much prefer do all of my research about Furies and fairies and all magical stuff than do public service, you know." Harley answered. "I feel like it will restrict me once I accept the offer. IF Vert will make the offer, that is."

"Hehehe. Okay okay. Whatever you decide, I will be there to support you." Bahus assured to Harley.

"Thanks, partner." Harley replied with a grin.

"Well I sure do hope that miss Nitroplus and the little girl are safe." Bahus can't help but mention.

"Oh come on, Bahus. I'm sure they are safe. Have faith with Sachie." Harley told him. "Always keep a positive mindset. It helps a lot, you know."

To be continued….


	23. Chapter 23 - An Unexpected Find

Chapter 23 - An Unexpected Find

(Takes place during the events of Chapters 21 and 22)

While Marianna puts Vert on a safe location, Sherman is still trying all he can do to fend off Magic…

"How unfortunate…." Mumbled Magic as she stands in front of Sherman after exchanging a lot of attacks with each other.

"Hm? What is unfortunate, I wonder." Asked Sherman as he remains calmly on guard.

"The last of my felons, Brave, has fallen as well." Magic replied calmly as she returns to her battle stance.

"Ahaha. It seems ASIC is about to meet its downfall now." Sherman teasingly told Magic. "Evil will never prosper, after all."

"ASIC will only be defeated if I fall." Magic assured Sherman. "As long as I have this power, I cannot be defeated." She then proceeded to attack Sherman with all her might.

"Ryushin, once more with our defense strategy." Sherman told his Fury.

" _Affirmative._ "Ryushin replied before supplying Sherman with the right amount of powers for a defensive maneuver.

"All you did is defend yourself since the beginning of our little battle." Magic said while slicing her way through Sherman's defensive stance with a volley of attacks from her scythe. "How can you possibly defeat me if you are not aggressive in attacking?"

"Oh I have no intention of defeating you, miss." Sherman replied while defending himself from Magic's attacks. "I also believe that I am not capable of defeating you as well. I am merely buying for some time."

"Buying for some time?" Magic repeated while she continues to attack Sherman.

"Yes. There is a much more fitting person that can actually defeat a dark being such as yourself." Sherman told Magic nonchalantly as he remains in defense.

"Hmhm. If you are referring to the CPU, then your hopes of defeating me is futile." Magic retorted back with confidence. "Have you not seen how I dominated the girl in battle earlier?"

"Oh I am aware of that." Sherman replied as he continues to defend himself in a calm manner. "However, I assure to you that in her return, she will be in better prime form than your earlier encounter with her."

"You seem confident about it." Muttered Magic as she stops on her attacks to listen to Sherman. "Can you tell me how that will happen?"

"You do remember how she was able to defeat the APU before you, correct?" Sherman asked Magic.

"Hmhm. Our leader simply made a miscalculation before that led to her destruction." Magic replied. "She must have thought that a simple human like that general with a bow and arrow wouldn't be able to even inflict any damage on to her."

"And the damage has been done, sadly." Sherman continued for her. "And even though she was able to kill General Gheytz, she got badly weakened. But come to think of it…," He then paused for a moment to think of something. "… I don't think your APU was able to kill the general in the first place."

"Hm? What makes you say that?"Asked Magic. Sherman seems to have gotten her attention.

" _Good. That seems to have distracted her. Enough to buy some time._ " Sherman thought in his mind calmly. "As you have said, your APU underestimated General Gheytz and paid the price. The general was a very capable soldier enough to lead a successful rebellion to overthrow the tyrant leader of the South continent. Your APU should have known that. But sadly, she battled head on with him and was fend off sustaining a lot of damage from the general. But successful he may be, the general was already badly weakened before their encounter. I believe that…his body got already tampered with before facing off with your APU, causing his real demise."

"Hmhm, interesting theory." Muttered Magic before returning to her battle stance. "But like I said, it was her mistake and I will not allow such fate to befall on me as well. I am close to defeating the CPU and I will not let anyone get in my way of reviving our great goddess."

"That I cannot allow to happen." Sherman replied calmly but with dedication. "Your vile goddess will not and cannot be revived." He then resumes his fighting stance. "And I will make sure that the CPU becomes successful in eliminating you."

"Hmhm. How thoughtful of you." Magic touted. "But your life ends here now, fencer." She then proceeded to materialize several sharp projectiles made from her own dark energy and pointed them all at Sherman.

"My apologies, but I am not the kind that dies easily." Sherman replied as he remains stationary with his defense up, bracing for Magic's move.

"Die." Magic simply said before making her projectiles rain down on Sherman fast.

"Ryushin, get ready." Sherman told his companion before procuring a magic circle in his hand. " _Convergence._ "

Several beams of light fired away from Sherman's magic circle and hit every projectile Magic has cast against him. But during the mass of smoke made by the explosions covering in between them….

"Hehe…."

Magic suddenly emerged from the smoke and landed a quick strike from her scythe towards Sherman.

 _ ***Clash!***_

Fortunately, Sherman was quick enough to be able to parry Magic's scythe.

"Hmhm. Your agility really impresses me, young fencer." Magic told Sherman with admiration.

"Like I said, I am not the kind to die easily." Sherman replied a bit cockily. "And as long as CPU Green Heart hasn't returned yet, I will keep you company for a while more."

"Hmhm. But for how long more will you last, I wonder." Magic touted at him. She then materialized more of her projectiles behind Sherman while their weapons are still engaged.

"Hehe. Well ain't this quite tricky of you." Sherman said with a snicker. But he also materialized a few magic circles from behind Magic as well.

"Go ahead. Let us see who receives the most damage." Magic dared Sherman.

"Sorry, I don't plan on getting hurt here." Sherman replied before unleashing a wave of energy to throw away Magic from him. But as he did so, the projectiles immediately came raining down on him.

" _Convergence!_ " Muttered Sherman quickly to destroy the projectiles.

* _ **Zap!**_ *

"Gaaah!" Sherman yelled in pain as Magic shot him waves of electricity and it ran through his body. Then he realized that the electricity is paralyzing his entire body. He is still standing but is unable to move.

"Finally caught you." Magic declared while keeping the electricity coming from her hand wrapped around Sherman's body. "You may be agile, but I've finally caught on with how fast you really are. And it seems you won't be lasting long after all."

"Ghh… Hehe. Don't count on it just yet…." Sherman told Magic while trying his best to break free.

"Hmhm. I'm not letting go of you now, white fencer." Magic told Sherman as she intensified the electricity still wrapped around the man, making him scream more in pain. "I won't let you meddle with my plans ever again. Time to die."

 _ ***BOOM!***_

A sudden explosion between where Sherman and Magic occurred, making the spell of Magic break, releasing Sherman from her bind.

"I will not allow you to do such things to him." Said a familiar voice just above them.

And in just a few moments, Sherman saw Marianna in her fairize form quickly land down in the area where the explosion occurred.

"Took you a while, Marianna." Sighed Sherman in relief after seeing his fencer partner.

"Don't blame me. Blame Vert for not immediately recovering." Marianna told Sherman while pointing at someone still above them.

And slowly, Green Heart descended near the location of the two fencers. As she does so, Magic's eyes were following her until Green Heart landed down, amused to see the CPU was able to recover.

"Hmhm. So you've recovered…." Magic said amusingly at Green Heart.

Green Heart then looked at Magic first with determined eyes before answering. "Yes. And it is all thanks to my friends that I am here once more, ready to engage in battle with you and end your delusions."

"For your information, we are not friends, Vert." Marianna quickly interjected.

"Still, if you hadn't pulled the dark shard off my body, I would have perished, Marianna. So I thank you just the same." Green Heart told her with a smile of gratitude.

"I don't need your gratitude…." Mumbled Marianna.

"Hmhm. Good to hear." Muttered Magic as she forms into her battle stance once more, making sure that the three can feel her ominous aura.

"I know that I'm able to regain my celestial powers back, but I don't think it will be enough to defeat her." Green Heart silently muttered to Sherman.

"Is that so, lady Green Heart?" Sherman said to her. "Well then, let me assist you in that matter." He then suddenly grabbed Green Heart's hand, much to the CPU's surprise. "Ryushin, transfer ninety-nine percent of my remaining powers to lady Green Heart."

" _Affirmative._ " Replied Ryushin. And by his command, Sherman's powers started transferring towards Green Heart through his hand.

"You dare perform such a task in front of me." Magic told them seethingly. "I won't let you have your way…!" She then proceeded to attack them head on.

"Marianna, please fend her off for a moment." Sherman told her fellow fencer while he is still transferring his powers to Green Heart.

"Understood." Marianna replied before charging in to clash with Magic. "But not because I'm defending her."

" _Transfer status: sixty-five percent to completion._ " Ryushin mentions as the power transfer proceeds on.

"Really, I appreciate the assistance that you are giving." Green Heart told Sherman gratefully.

"A fencers powers are only good in inflicting acceptable damage on beings such as you and this felon with the APU's soul in it." Sherman replied as he retains a firm grip on Green Heart's hand while the transfer is still in progress. "Might as well put it to good use by giving most of them to you, the lone person who can eliminate this threat to the peace and harmony of this world."

"Then I promise to you that ASIC's reign of terror will end right now." Green Heart Told Sherman.

" _Transfer status: ninety-three percent to completion._ " Ryushin mentions.

"Not done yet, you two?" Marianna asked them while still engaged in fighting against Magic. "Two negatives don't work effectively against each other, you know! It's getting more difficult to fend her off now!"

"Two negatives?"Mumbled Green Heart in a bit of confusion.

"Well, Marianna's powers do come from darkness as well thanks to her Fury Khalara." Sherman explains to her. "We are just fortunate enough that she sided with good despite receiving dark powers from such a Fury."

"Well…, Marianna is really a good girl at heart, after all." Green Heart told Sherman while recalling the times she spent together with Marianna before all the chaos broke throughout their place and nearly spreading all over Gamindustri.

" _Transfer status: Complete. Amount of powers successfully transferred exactly as requested._ " Ryushin informs Sherman.

"Again, I thank you for your aid, Sherman." Green Heart said to him gratefully once more.

"Just please put an end to her and ASIC, lady Green Heart." Sherman replied back with a smile.

"Hmhm." Giggled mildly by Magic as she ceases from attacking Marianna and proceeded to look at Green Heart. "Seems you are in good fighting condition once more."

"Yes. And I will make sure this time… that you will meet your downfall right here, right now!" Green Heart told Magic with full determination.

"Hmhm. I will enjoy fighting you once more, CPU." Magic gleefully said. "And this time, I will make sure you die. And your two companions over there won't be able to assist you in this matter. For one is now powerless while the other shares the same aura as I do so using her powers against me in my now darkest form would be useless…."

"You two, please go to a safer place." Green Heart ordered to the two fencers. "Things may get out of hand here while we engage in battle."

"As you say so, lady Green Heart." Sherman told Green Heart. "We will leave so that we don't become an obstacle for you."

"Thank you for understanding." Green Heart replied.

"Let's go." Marianna told Sherman as she offers her hand for him to grab on before they fly off.

"Very well." Sherman replied back before holding on to Marianna's hands. "Good luck, lady Green Heart. But we will not go far from here so that we can still offer our assistance when the need arrives."

Green Heart only nodded in agreement before seeing them fly off. She then proceeded to look back at Magic. "I'm surprised that you let them go. I was ready to fend you off in case you don't let them be."

"Hmhm. All I am after is your life anyway…." Magic answered. "I can always hunt them down once I am done with you…."

Green Heart then proceeded to do her battle stance in preparation. "Time to end this chaos that is ASIC once and for all…."

* * *

Meanwhile at Vio's location by the outskirts of the continent where she and her soldiers clashed with ASIC forces and has successfully repelled and defeated most of them. There they managed to pitch up a military tent for them to resupply and rearm their weapons as they make the final push towards the enemy stronghold.

"Ma'am, we have found this amongst one of the enemy infantry who got killed during the gunfight." Said one of Vio's soldiers who approached her while holding something long and is wrapped in torn cloth. From the looks of it, it seemed to be some sort of weapon.

"Good work finding something useful from the enemy forces, soldier." Vio's replied to acknowledge the soldier's efforts before asking him to hand the item over to her.

And when the soldier handed it over to Vio….

"Hm? What is this? Some sort of bow?" Vio asked the soldier.

"Yes Ma'am. Some soldiers claimed that its arrows are able to pierce through thick armor with ease." The soldier answered. "So we assumed that it's an important item so once the wielder got killed, we took the liberty of recovering it and present it to you, general."

"Very good, then." Vio acknowledges more. "Now leave me be for a moment while I do some analysis on this find of yours."

And when the soldier left, Vio wasted no time and immediately unwrapped the item from its covers. And what she found completely dumbstruck her…..

"N-no way…."

She then carefully lifted up the weapon so that she can look at it properly.

"It is…. Ahaha…this is great news…!"

She then used the cloth that was used to wrap around it to clean the weapon from dirt.

"Vert… we found it." Vio muttered to herself in excitement. "We found your father's Wisdom Bow…."

To be continued….


	24. Chapter 24 - Pierce Through,Spiral Break

Chapter 24 - Pierce Through, Spiral Break

"You can easily defeat that remaining felon, you know that Sherman." Marianna argued after she and Sherman were able to get to a far enough place to settle and watch the battle between Green Heart and Magic that could decide the fate of not just the Western continent but the entire world as well.

"The truth is, Marianna, we can only suppress her but not fully eliminate the felon with the APU's spirit." Sherman explained to her. "I tried to imitate what General Gheytz has done with the original APU, but all that I have managed is to stall for time."

"That is because you restrained yourself in activating fairize…!" Marianna scolded at him. "If you hadn't hold back with your powers, then you might have weakened the felon significantly."

"But it will still prove useless against her, Marianna." Sherman calmly argued. "With a piece of a dark shard within her body, weakening the felon even in fairize would still be quite difficult. So I have decided to bet on the best possible scenario here."

"Best possible scenario?" asked Marianna in confusion. "And why do you know that the felon possesses a piece of that shard?"

"Hmhm, you are not the only one who can feel the presence of dark items, Marianna." Sherman answered amusingly.

"Hmph…thanks for reminding." Marianna replied unamused. "So, what is this about your best scenario thing?"

 _ ***BOOM!***_

Suddenly, explosions that rocks the earth can be heard from afar along with sudden gusts of wind that rattles the trees around the forest.

"Seems their battle is growing intense now." Sherman mentions nonchalantly.

"You still haven't answered my question." Marianna told Sherman impatiently.

"So I haven't." Sherman replied to Marianna with a calm smile. "Look closely, Marianna, if I were to battle with the felon using fairize, it will only result in a stalemate, with me becoming significantly weakened afterwards. Don't get me wrong, the felon is an intimidating and a quite skilled foe. Even with me throwing everything I have on her, it would still not weaken the felon since she still possess a dark shard within her. And by the time you and lady Vert arrives, you two would see me tired and unable to transfer any energy to lady Vert. We would end up with a CPU with not enough strength to go against the felon, and we might end up defeated and most probably killed."

"So you deliberately remained fighting off the felon without using fairize?" Said a baffled Marianna. "So that by the time we arrive, you can give Vert most of the energy in your Fury and make her recover strength?"

"That was the plan." Sherman answered, amused that his companion is catching up with his plan. "And as you can see, it is working seamlessly." He added before pointing to the direction where the explosions and colliding and scraping of metal can be heard.

"I… see how it is now." Marianna finally understood. "You deliberately held the felon off without using all of your energy to reserve them for you to give to Vert?"

"Correct." Answered Sherman simply. "And to prevent her from getting bored at me and decides to hunt you and the CPU down, I gave the felon all the reason for her to… kill me."

"Huh…?" breathed out a flabbergasted Marianna. "What kind of diversion did you do?"

"Hahahaha. It is simple, really. I taunted her by saying rude stuff about their beloved vile goddess." Sherman answered amusingly. "It seems that she really dislikes getting her favorite goddess insulted in front of her."

"That is one way to anger such a fanatic." Mumbled Marianna with a sigh in the end. "Good thing you were able to defend yourself against an angry fan girl."

"Hahahaha! Fan girl, what an unnecessary but funny way to put it, Marianna." Sherman laughingly told her. "But as for fighting her off in pure defensive stance, I am at least confident in how me and Ryushin are able to defend ourselves against a frenzied opponent."

"But you still did got caught off guard there when I arrived…." Marianna told him with a sweatdrop.

"Hahaha. And your timing was impeccable, I must say." Sherman replied thankfully. "I was becoming a bit sluggish there so that is why I got caught by her attack."

As they converse with each other, the battle between Green Heart and Magic seems to grow more intense by the horizon as more explosions and waves of wind came gushing to the trees.

"Do you think she can handle the felon?" Marianna can't help but ask. "I mean, Vert did got beaten in their last encounter."

"I'm sure the CPU has learned from her mistakes and will fight accordingly." Sherman replied.

"Your confidence on her is that much, huh…." Marianna mumbled quietly.

"That is because the CPU is the only one who can fully defeat the resurrected APU in that felon's body." Sherman told Marianna. "She is the only one who can pierce through the APU'S soul within that felon's body."

"I see…." Marianna silently understood.

"Halt! Don't move you two."

Surprised by suddenly hearing someone speak to them out of the blue, Sherman and Marianna slowly turned around to see who spoke to them from a distance. And there they saw Violence standing a few feet away from their location, and she seems to be aiming a bow and arrow at them.

"It's one of Vert's friends." Marianna mentioned, recognizing Vio.

But Vio's gaze is upon Sherman, however. And from the looks of her, she seems furious upon seeing the man in white clothing.

"You…. You are the one who administered the virus on Nitroplus and Harley…!" Vio mentioned in a confronting tone, aiming the arrow in the bow she is holding towards Sherman.

"Calm down, miss." Sherman told Vio calmly. "It is true that I administered the virus at them forcefully, but I only did so to increase the odds of defeating the threat that is ASIC. But I do apologize for the rash action of mine back then. But I only did such for the greater good."

"You bastard…!" Vio cursed at him, bow and arrow still aimed at Sherman. "You could've killed them with what you did!"

"But they did not died, as far as I can tell." Sherman said calmly in defense. "I believe they have already encountered life threatening situations here. And I believe that if it weren't for the virus, they would have perished by now."

"Gh…" Breathed out Vio as she realized what Sherman meant to say. It is true that if it weren't for the virus, they would be dead right now, especially Nitroplus who encountered a near death experience with Magic before.

 _ ***BOOM!***_

Another explosion from a near distance distracted Vio from confronting Sherman and suddenly remembered what she was gonna do.

"Where is Vert?" Vio asked them after lowering the bow, making the arrow in it magically disappear.

"That is one fascinating bow you got there, miss." Sherman can't help but mention.

"This is none of your concerns." Vio replied with hostility. "Again I ask, where is Vert?"

This time, it was Marianna who talked and answered Vio's question. "If you are looking for your CPU, she is currently engaged with the felon in that direction." She then pointed out to the direction where Green Heart is battling against Magic.

"Why aren't you two backing her up?" Vio asked them, disappointed as to why they were letting Vert fight alone against such a monster. "Aren't you two Fencers?!"

"For your information, we already provided the sufficient assistance to her, miss." Sherman assured to Vio with a smile.

"That is true. She was already in a bind when we got to her." Marianna added. " _But if this weren't a dire situation, I'd leave her be to her fate._ " She maliciously thought in her mind.

"Yes. Marianna took her to a safe place to recover while I tried my hardest to keep the felon company while your CPU recovers." Sherman explained further.

"One of your friends who wields a Fury that are guns gave all her remaining powers to your CPU before heading off to rescue some people in distress." Marianna told Vio.

"And I gave her most of my powers as well." Sherman added.

"I see. Thank goodness, then…." Vio sighed in relief.

"But victory is far from being achieved yet, miss." Sherman told Vio. "But whatever you have there in your possession may aid the CPU significantly."

"Yeah. And I plan to hand this over to her." Vio replied. "Now if you'll excuse me." She told them before heading off towards the direction where Green Heart is still battling against Magic.

"That thing she was holding…, isn't that a Fury?" Asked Marianna.

"Yes, it is." Sherman replied. "And from its presence, I can feel that it is something…special, especially for the CPU."

* * *

Meanwhile….

"Haaah….tch…."

"Hmhm. Again at a lost…." Magic muttered amusingly as she gaze upon a weary opponent. "Seems the aid they gave to you has went to waste."

"I haven't given up just yet…!" Green Heart told Magic before regaining her composure. She is once again full of scratches and bruises, but her expression says that her resolve to finish off the enemy is evident in her eyes. "I can feel the faith of those who believe in me defeating you and the rest of ASIC…! I will not fail them!" She then charged at Magic with all she got.

"Hmhm. How futile." Mumbled Magic as she charged as well towards Green Heart.

" _Rainy Ratnapura!_ " Chanted Green Heart, swiftly thrusting her spear several times towards Magic. However, Magic is just as swift as well, parrying Green Heart's attack with ease.

"Not done yet!"

And with one swift movement, Green Heart lashes out her spear in a swing motion towards Magic with all her might.

 _ ***Blam!***_

Unexpected by Magic, the attack Green Heart unleashed threw her away with such force that she slammed towards the ground violently.

"Hehehe…~ You've finally managed to hurt me even though I still possess a dark shard within me…." Mumbled Magic amusingly.

"There is more to that, you fiend!" Green Heart yelled at Magic before procuring a magic circle. " _In-between Spear!_ " She chanted, firing several magical spears towards Magic.

"Hahaha. Useless….! Magic muttered with seething breath before aggressively swinging her scythe to destroy Green Heart's projectiles.

"HAAAAAAAAH!"

 _ ***Clang!***_

If Magic wasn't quick enough, she might have been hit directly by a spear because she didn't expected Green Heart to be just behind the projectiles she fired towards her.

"It's over, you fiend…!" Green Heart told Magic while using all her force to push down her spear on Magic's scythe.

"Hmhm, is it now…?" Magic said. "I believe that it is you who is done, CPU…."

"Gh…."

It is true, though. Green Heart can feel her energy slowly diminishing every time she gets this close to Magic. The effects of being too near a dark shard is really taking a toll on her. But in her mind, she has to end it fast. She can't deal with Magic using ranged attacks, so she has to deal with her in close range. And she has to be quick about it.

"Hmhm. Time to end this…." Muttered Magic as she unleashed a wave of dark aura from her body, violently throwing away Green Heart off her.

"Aaaaargh!" Screamed Green Heart in pain after slamming into a huge tree. But she was far from over yet as she immediately regained her composure before completely falling down.

"Hahaha…!" Laughed Magic as she materializes several of her needle like projectiles and fired it towards Green Heart.

"?! _Broken Fang!_ " Chanted Green Heart as she spins her spear rapidly in front of her using one hand to repel all the projectiles being fired at her.

"Hmhm. Two can play your game, CPU…. "

 _ ***Blam!***_

"AAAAARGH!"

Mimicking Green Heart's move from earlier, Magic swiftly charged at the distracted CPU and swings her scythe with violent force, slamming the CPU on the ground below with sheer force.

"Like I said…, useless." Mumbled Magic as she slowly descend to the ground near where Green Heart made an impact.

"Gh…."

As Green Heart was about to stand up again, she felt Magic's foot stomp down on her abdomen and pushed her back to the ground using it. And when she looked up, she saw the blade of Magic's scythe just across her throat. She can also feel the dark shard within Magic drain her energy, further weakening her.

"Hmhm. Time to die…."Magic declared before slowly lowering the blade of her scythe to Green Heart's neck.

But before Green Heart could begin to resist the blade using her own bare hands weakly….

"GAAAAAAH!"

…she got the surprise of her lifetime when Magic suddenly screamed and writhe in pain on top of her after she got hit from behind by an unknown object.

"Get away from her!"

Green Heart got even more surprised after seeing Magic get tackled by someone, removing the felon off her.

"Vert! You alright?!"

When Green Heart started to stand up slowly, there she saw Vio rushing to her side, helping her to get up.

"I'm glad I got here in time…." Vio sighed in relief after helping Green Heart stand up.

"Thank you so much, Vio…." Green Heart told Vio gratefully. She then immediately noticed the bow in Vio's hand. "?! That bow…."

"That's right…." Vio then excitedly handed the green colored bow with pure gold highlights to Green Heart. "It's your father's missing bow."

"The Wisdom Bow…." Green Heart whispered happily before hugging the weapon tightly. "Father…."

"M-my shard…." Magic weakly mumbled as she pulled out the magical arrow off her back, which disintegrated in her hands. It did not leave any marks or injuries on her back but it seems to have badly weakened Magic to an extent.

"Seems you have hit your mark well, Vio…." Green Heart told her friend amusingly.

"Lucky shot…." Vio replied amusingly as well.

"You…." She then eyed Vio with great hatred. "You dare destroy the shard within me!" She then angrily charged at them, giant scythe in hand, ready to slash its blade at them.

"I don't think so…!" Muttered Green Heart before aiming the bow at the incoming enemy. Instantly after channeling her powers towards the bow, an arrow materializes in the bow magically. And without hesitation, Green Heart fired the arrow at Magic.

"I'll just slice that puny arrow of yours!" Magic roared furiously as she swings her scythe at the incoming arrow.

"?!"

But to Magic's great surprise, the arrow just went through her scythe…"

"Aaaaargh!"

…and hit her squarely on the right shoulder. Magic can feel some of her energy drain away from her after the arrow hit her. "Wh-what weapon…is that...?"

"It is the weapon that crippled your APU, Magic…." Green Heart told her before firing another magical arrow at Magic, hitting her at the left arm this time and making the felon scream in pain once more.

"How does it feel… to be drained of your powers like you did to me?" Green Heart said before firing another arrow, this time hitting Magic at the abdomen, further weakening the felon.

"I-impossible…." Magic muttered in disbelief, fighting off the effects of the arrow that is slowly making her weak due to the presence of Green Heart's own light energy on the arrows. "No…not now….not now that I am close in… defeating you…."

"The one that needs to be defeated…is you." Green Heart told Magic before firing another arrow at Magic, hitting her in the left leg this time further crippling the felon.

"Lousy aim, Vert…." Vio teased at Green Heart.

"Well I am not good with a bow and arrow." Green Heart replied awkwardly.

"Really? But it's no different from aiming using a gamepad in one of your favorite first person shooter games." Vio teased on.

"I will not be made a fool by the likes of you two!" Magic screamed in wrath as she mustered all her strength to break free from Green Heart's binding arrows.

"Vert look out!" yelled Vio in warning.

Suddenly, the bow in Green Heart's hand glowed so bright, surprising her and Vio. And it was so bright that it stopped Magic on her tracks, making her cover her eyes from the intense brightness.

And when the light slowly subsided….

"Whoa….Vert, the bow…." Vio muttered after seeing what has happened to the weapon.

"It…became a spear…." Green Heart muttered in surprise as the bow in her hand became a spear that is bigger than her default weapon, and it looked more mechanical than the first one as well. However, it did not retained its green and gold color but it followed Green Heart's color pattern which is black and green.

"That will not save you from my wrath…!" Magic yelled with rage as she charges with all her powers at Green Heart.

"?!"

 _ ***Smash!***_

"I-impossible…!"

Swinging her weapon with all her might, Green Heart was able to destroy Magic's scythe with one blow. And not only that, the brute force it produced threw Magic away from them, slamming hard on the ground.

"Time to end you, felon… once and for all…!"

Drawing more power from the Fury in her hands, Green Heart got surrounded by her own aura as she prepares to deliver her killing blow at the weakened felon.

"Now then…" Green Heart started before assuming her battle stance. "….let my spear pierce through you and your soul like I did to your APU…!"

"Gh…." Try as she might, the damage dealt by the arrows of light on Magic was so great that it really crippled her.

" _SPIRAL BREAK!_ "

Combining her swift movements and sheer strength, Green Heart slashed her way using her newly found weapon on a defenseless Magic numerous times, making the felon scream in agony.

"HAAAAAH!"

Green Heart's last slash of her spear was so strong that Magic's body went airborne as she ascends up after the attack.

"Now with this final attack…" Muttered Green Heart before assuming a position where she will throw her spear at the airborne and limp felon. "… not even a piece of soul shall remain!"

And with one full force throw, the spear hit Magic squarely in the body, dragging her all the way to the earth below as she screams in agony and defeat.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! THIS CANNOT BE…!"

And with one explosive impact on the ground below, Magic was no more. Her body disintegrated from the force of Green Heart's spear and the impact after. And as her body disintegrated, dark mist erupted from her body, creating a howling, ominous voice before disintegrating as well.

"I…I did it…?" Mumbled Green Heart in disbelief and relief at the same time. "I… ahahaha…I finally…did it…."

Weakened after pouring all her strength, Green Heart lost consciousness in mid air and slowly fell down towards the ground.

"Vert!"

And just in time, Vio was able to catch the unconscious CPU. And while in her arms, Green Heart reverted back into her human form which is Vert.

"Vert… you did it." Vio told the unconscious girl as she lowers her to the ground, leaning her upper body on a nearby rock. "We did it.… We won…!"

But Vert was really exhausted that Vio's cheer for victory wasn't waking her up.

And as Vio stops to gaze through the trees towards the setting sun, she only have one thing in mind….

"I really hope this is all over now….because I have a lot of backlog of my books that I wanna read so bad now….hehe…."

To be continued….


	25. Final Chapter - Road to Recovery

Final Chapter – Road to Recovery

After grueling times of struggle, destruction and conflict, at last they were finally able to stop ASIC and it's plan to revive the evil goddess Arfoire by spreading their beliefs to the masses and gather faith. Green Heart was finally able to defeat and eliminate the standing leader of ASIC, Magic. The other felons were also defeated by her ally Fencers as well, further crippling the group that has caused terror on the Western continent. Although not fully eliminated, the defeat of the ASIC's four pillars of power was enough to put the group in complete disarray. A couple of the enemy troops fought on only to face death while those who aren't brave enough fled to almost every part of the continent and are being hunted down by the Leanbox forces.

However, victory may have been achieved, it did claimed a lot of lives, including those from innocent residents of the continent. The battle also destroyed and burnt down houses and other sources of living, making it even harder for survivors to recover.

* * *

And so, three days after the grueling battle has finally completely subsided….

At night time...

"*Groan*"

"Oh, she's finally waking up…~!"

"Hey now. Don't be too loud…. She's still recovering."

And slowly, Vert opened up her eyes. She then realized that she was lying on a bed. And even though her vision is still somewhat blurry, she could make out the image of her friend Vio standing on the right side of her sick bed. However, on her left side stands….

"Oh thank goodness you're alright~!" Said the woman on her left before proceeding to hold her hand tight. "If only the basilicom was called more earlier, I could've sent reinforcements, and even myself, to save my darling sister Vert~."

"Wow…. You're worried about her while you didn't even worried about your real big sister? You're unbelievable, you know that." Vio mentioned with slight disappointment and sarcasm.

"Oh I also did worried about you, of course." Said the woman while still holding Vert's hand tight. "But knowing you, you can easily survive these kinds of danger as long as you keep your head attached and intact, right?"

"Ugh… thanks for the second hand worry there…." Sighed Vio.

"Ch-chika…?" Vert mentioned weakly as she still feels lightheaded.

"Yes, it is I, your dearest Oracle who came to aid you, lady Vert." Said Chika who is acting valiantly.

"Aid…me…?" Asked Vert in confusion as she looks around weakly to verify where she really is resting. "Are we not…back at home yet…?"

"Nope. We're still at the Western continent, Vert." Vio answered. "And you're currently resting inside one of our mobile infirmary."

"Then…why is Chika here…?" Vert asked.

"D-don't you want to see me…?" Chika said in dismay.

"N-no that's not it, Chika…." Vert immediately quelled Chika's dismay. "I'm just…surprised to see you here…."

"Well the reason my 'dear' sister is here…" Vio started with an emphasis on the word dear. "… is because I sent a distress call to the basilicom. That was after I eliminated that big licker."

"Yes, lady Vert, that is true." Chika said in agreement. "By the time we at the basilicom got the distress call from Vio, I immediately ordered our troops to prepare for dispatch and head towards your location."

"But I specifically told her not to bring 'all' of the troops here in fear of leaving our nation defenseless." Vio iterated quickly.

"What? Why would I do that?" Said a flabbergasted Chika.

"Well you have the tendency to do so since it involves helping Vert out here." Vio retorted.

"Well as you can see, I didn't." Chika said proudly. "As the Oracle of Leanbox, of course I can't let our free nation be without any defense."

"But then…, who is supervising the basilicom…?" Vert asked out of curiosity.

"Well…. Oh…." Mumbled Chika before realizing what Vert meant when she asked that.

"See…?" Said Vio with a sigh. "You left Leanbox with no one to supervise it. You just went ahead and came along with the reinforcements."

"Well…I was so worried about lady Vert that I…y-you know…." Chika mumbled embarrassingly.

"Well as long as Leanbox is not left with no means of defense, they should be able to stand against any threat just fine…." Vert concluded.

"Lady Vert…~" Chika mentioned meekly.

"You spoil her too much." Vio muttered.

"But…how long was I unconscious…?" Vert asked.

"About three days now." Vio simply answered.

"Th-three days…?" Vert repeated in surprise. She then begins to get up from her sick bed, only to be stopped by Chika.

"You're still not fully recovered, lady Vert." Chika told her.

"But…what about the battle…?" Vert asked in worry.

"You can relax now, Vert. We're victorious in our battle against ASIC." Vio told Vert with assurance. "We've successfully eliminated the bigger threats that are the four felons of ASIC. All that is left now are the enemy soldiers who are left in disarray, either still fighting off our soldiers or just wandering around aimlessly without a proper leader to guide them."

"Still…, we shouldn't be relaxing if there are still remnants roaming about…." Vert told Vio as she sits up from the bed with the help of Chika.

"Don't worry about that too, lady Vert." Chika assured to Vert. "Our forces are still deployed around the area to sweep out and eliminate the remaining threat."

"I see…." Vert muttered before giving off a sigh of relief. "But then…what about the condition of the capital and its people?"

"Well we are currently handing over relief goods to the surviving residents." Vio answered. "And not to mention treating those who are ill and injured."

"And also we've temporarily pitched up tents for those who are left homeless." Chika added.

"That is good to hear then…." Vert said with a smile and another sigh of relief. "In those three days, I bet Compile is hard at work now, huh…."

But at the mention of the nurse's name, Vio and Chika can't help but look at each other.

"Hmm? Is something the matter?" Vert asked them, as worry begins to crawl into her mind again.

"Well Vert, Compile is doing fine." Vio started. "It's just that…she's being treated as well along with miss Little Rain."

"What happened to Compile?" Vert inquired further.

"She suffered a broken leg, lady Vert…." Chika answered this time. "But like Vio said, her injury has been treated now and she's resting on another mobile infirmary."

"It was a good thing that Harley and Bahus were able to rescue them from the burning ship." Vio mentioned.

"The ship…." Vert mumbled as something suddenly dawned to her mind at the mention of the burning ship. "Yuu…. Where is Yuu?"

"Yuu?" Chika repeated.

"It's the little girl that I mentioned to you earlier…." Vio replied to her sister.

"Well you two…? Where is Yuu? Did something happened to her?!" Vert can't help but raise her voice due to worry.

"Vert…" Vio started calmly before giving off a sigh. "…the toddler is missing…."

"Wh-what…?" Muttered Vert as her eyes widened in shock as she heard the bad news. The little girl has become so dear to her after all.

"When we asked Compile what happened, she said that she wasn't able to immediately get to the toddler once the initial explosion started on the ship." Vio started relating the information she got from the nurse to Vert. "The explosion was so immense that it threw both Compile and little Yuu off their feet. That is how she inflicted her broken leg, while the little girl lay unconscious."

But Vert just sat there still wearing a bewildered expression on her face. Betting on the fact that Vert is still listening, Vio continued telling her everything Compile told her.

"According to Compile, the reason she wasn't able to get to the little girl even with an injured leg was that another explosion occurred and it caused a lot of burning debris to block the way, separating her from little Yuu."

"Poor nurse Compile…." Chika muttered sadly.

"Then she stumbled upon the unconscious Little Rain. Confused and don't know what to do, she just crawled towards the unconscious priestess, covered the poor girl with her body and cried, hoping that they get saved."

"Well at least they got saved by that Fury obsessed girl." Chika butted in.

"True. But somebody else came before that, according to Compile." Vio told them.

"Who…?" Vert asked, thinking that knowing who the person was might give her a lead when she starts searching for the little girl.

"Compile saw Nitroplus come in to the wrecked infirmary." Vio answered. "Compile said that Nitroplus was injured on the head but nonetheless still upright. She then asked Nitroplus to go save the unconscious toddler. But then she said another huge explosion occurred underneath the ship, causing it to rock violently. And as the ship swayed forcefully, there she saw the little girl slip towards a ruptured wall of the infirmary that Compile doesn't know what is underneath if the little girl falls over. And there she saw Nitroplus make an effort and jumped towards the little girl, catching her in her arms. But sadly, as Compile saw it first hand, Nitroplus and the little girl fell through…."

"No…." Vert breathed out in utter disbelief. She couldn't fathom the idea of what could've happened to the two when they fell over. "So… where is miss Nitroplus…?"

"She's missing as well…." Vio told Vert reluctantly with a sad face.

"No…." Vert breathed out again as she covers her face with her hands as she begins to sob and she'd rears of sadness. "*sob* Yuu…."

"Vert…." Muttered Chika as she sits down beside the crying CPU to comfort her.

"But rest assured Vert. We haven't stopped our search yet." Vio assured to Vert. "We will try our best to look for them, hopefully ali-"

"Don't say it like they're dead already!" Vert screamed while she cries in deep sorrow. "They are alive…. *sob* They are alive…. They have to be alive…. *sob* Yuu…!"

"That little girl has really became dear to Vert, huh…." Chika muttered to her sister.

"Indeed…." Vio replied in a sad tone. "Don't worry. We'll try our hardest to look for them…, Vert…."

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere near the craggy mountains up north of the Western continent….

"*huff* Darn it…! I was expecting us to win! *huff*"

There was Linda, tired after fleeing from the pursuing soldiers of Leanbox. After finding out that Magic was defeated, she did not hesitate to flee immediately. And she was right to do that because she and all of his comrades are being hunted down by the Leanbox forces to either arrest or eliminate them. But her bet is on the elimination part so she fled as fast as she can away to a place where she is sure that she isn't gonna get pursued.

"*huff* First the three felons got kicked in the rear. And now Lady Magic?! Why did Lady Magic got killed all of a sudden?! And here I thought that she got buffed enough to kill that CPU broad." Linda told herself in bewilderment. "That CPU has more punch than whatever we expected, after all. *huff*. Well maybe she did predicted it to happen…, so I guess that's the reason why she prepared for something like this."

She then pulled out a tiny glass tube with a sealed cork off from her pocket. Inside, a tiny piece of crimson colored shard as thick as a needle and not bigger than half a fingernails length sits quietly, emitting some sort of black mist that is unable to escape the glass tube.

"Use it when a memory core appears, she says." Linda muttered to herself. "But when in the world will one appear anyway?! What am I supposed to do with it once one appears?! And furthermore, what am I supposed to do with my goddess forsaken life while I freaking wait for one to appear?!"

But the only answer she got were the howls of wild wolves from a distance.

"Oh give me a freaking break!"

* * *

As a week passes by, the residents of the Western continent are slowly recovering from the destruction the battle has caused thanks to the valiant efforts of Leanbox. As for the search for the missing persons however, chances of finding them are getting more thinner as the days pass by, making Vert lose hope in finding the little girl and Nitroplus.

And as dawn draws close, Vert stood by the quiet shoreline, a bit far away from all the activities being done, feeling the cool breeze of the wind that passes by, looking at the horizon to witness the setting of the sun. She really couldn't accept the fact that she lost the little girl which she was just taking care of in the past days because of the war. Little Yuu became so dear to her that she was ready to adopt the toddler and make her as her younger sibling. But that idea of hers, which she also considered as a dream coming true, has all been broken after she lost the poor toddler.

"Lady Vert…."

When Vert turned around to see who it was, there she saw Little Rain approaching her.

"Ame…."

"Once again, I offer to you my endless gratitude for defending, aiding and helping this poor land of ours." Little Rain told Vert before giving her a steep, respectful bow. "If it weren't for you and your comrades, this place might have fallen into the hands of Arfoire's followers and turn us into believers of the vile goddess."

"It is our pleasure, Ame…." Vert replied with a smile. "We can't just let them wreck havoc on another place after almost conquering the land that my father fought his best to protect. It is my sworn duty to eliminate all that threatens the peace and stability of our world after I became Celestia's Patron Unit."

"And also…" Little Rain hesitated at first but then decided to say it anyways. "… I'm sorry for your…lost."

Vert looked at Little Rain for a moment before speaking her mind calmly with a bittersweet smile.

"Thank you but…we both lost someone dear to us, I'm afraid…."

"That is true…." Little Rain said in a sad tone. "I've lost my closest friend and companion. However…," She then looked up at Vert with a positive aura. "… I do believe that they are still alive. I can feel it, lady Vert."

"Ame…." Vert breathed out before smiling back at Little Rain. "I believe so as well."

Little Rain then noticed a small box in Vert's hand.

"Lady Vert…. May I ask what is that in your hand?" Asked Little Rain politely.

"Oh this…." Vert said quietly. She then showed to Little Rain the contents of the small box in her hand.

"Hmm…? Are those…a pair of white gamepad directional buttons?" Asked Little Rain with uncertainty.

"Hmhm… close but not quite." Said Vert before opening the box and showed Little Rain what it really was. "These are actually hairclips with directional buttons for design. I was… supposed to make little Yuu wear them the day before she ship got attacked…."

"I see…." Muttered Little Rain in a sad tone. She then proceeded to look at the sea. "Remarkable, isn't it."

"Hmm?" Vert wondered before following to look where Little Rain is looking at. "Oh…. Yes it is quite remarkable that the XBC13 is still floating on top of the water despite getting severely damaged. It turned out that the hull was made to withstand such terrible explosions."

"But is it still operational?" Little Rain asked.

"Sadly, no. The control room of the ship was so badly damaged, after all." Vert answered. "Not to worry if you are worried about oil leaks. We've managed to siphon the oil from the water before it could spread out and cause irreparable damage to the environment. And we will try our best to salvage the ship as well."

"Again, your efforts are very much appreciated, lady Vert." Little Rain commented.

"You are welcome, Ame." Vert replied gratefully. "But are you certain about your earlier decision…?"

"Yes, lady Vert. My decision is final." Little Rain answered. "I believe that the annexation of this land by Leanbox could significantly help us improve."

"Hm. Very well, then Ame." Vert said in agreement. "But rest assured that Leanbox will not put the Western continent under full control. We will provide the necessary assistance that includes infrastructure building, economic development and help you to create your own self defense. And as agreed in exchange, the Western continent shall provide to us the necessary resources available."

"Understood, my lady." Little Rain replied with a polite bow.

"Please, Ame, such honorifics aren't necessary." Vert told Little Rain humbly with a smile. "I'd prefer you to call me by my name."

"So this place will be called Leanbox Two, huh."

When Vert and Little Rain looked to see who talked, they saw Harley and Bahus walking towards them, a few of their personal belongings in hand.

"Then what? The South continent will be called Leanbox One now? Hehe~" Harley said to humor the two women.

"Not necessarily, Harley." Vert replied humbly. "So, you two will be venturing off now, huh."

"Yup. That is the original plan that I have, after all." Harley told Vert.

"Well you two did admirably well in helping us fight off the enemies." Vert told the two Fencers. "And with that, I give you my sincerest gratitude." She then followed up with a bow of respect towards Harley and Bahus.

"It's alright, lady Vert. We only kept our promise to you after you agreed to allow us to travel with you here." Bahus replied in a bashful tone.

"Well we already said our goodbyes to Vio and the others back at the camp. We only came here to say goodbye to you, Vert." Harley told Vert.

"I see." Vert replied. "But I still wish to honor your services to our cause before you two leave."

"Hehe. No need, Vert. Helping you defeat the enemies is enough for us. Right, partner?"Harley gestured to Bahus.

"Yes. Fighting alongside you and the rest of Leanbox is quite the honor already." Bahus agreed. "It is also an honor to be meeting you, lady Vert." He added with a bow.

"I am also grateful and honored to have met you two." Vert replied with gratitude. "But if you two ever returned to Leanbox, do please visit the basilicom. I would still like to honor you two."

"No problem. Leanbox is our home, after all." Harley told Vert before preparing to leave. "Well, bye Vert. And to you too, Ame."

"I hope you two are able to get what you are looking for." Little Rain replied with a smile.

And with one last bow of respect from Bahus, he and Harley left to venture the rest of the lands in search for more knowledge about Furies, and gather them as much as possible.

"And they are off…." Vert commented.

"And I shall be heading back as well, lady Vert." Little Rain told Vert politely. "I still need to attend to my people. I apologize if I can't accompany you to your leisure."

"It is alright, Ame." Vert replied with a smile of understanding.

And just like what Bahus did, with one more polite bow, Little Rain walked back to the town to attend to her people, leaving Vert once again all alone by the shoreline.

"I wonder what awaits for us in the future…." Vert muttered to herself as she gaze upon the setting sun. She then looked down at the hair ornaments still inside the box she is holding. She was about to throw it away to the sea after losing hope in finding the missing toddler. But after what Little Rain has said to her, she somewhat felt hope. So instead of throwing it away, Vert decided to keep the hair ornaments for now, wishing and hoping that one day, she gets to meet little Yuu safe and sound.

"We will be returning back home tomorrow…." Vert said, as if talking to the hair ornaments. "Oh I hope I could've taken you with me to see the beauty of my homeland, Yuu." She muttered before holding up the small box of the hair ornaments to her chest, near where her heart is.

And giving off one more deep sigh, Vert decided to return back to the camp, still wondering what lies ahead of them and wondering if little Yuu and Nitroplus are still alive out there.

"My only wish to Celestia…, is to see you alive and well once more…, my little Yuu."

* * *

Meanwhile at Dorfa….

At the orphanage, Marianna was once again playing her harp to the children. And as usual, the children loved how she plays the instrument. As Marianna plays, she can't help but notice a little boy with short, jet black hair staring at her very intently with his beautiful crimson colored eyes.

"Hmhm…you like the music, little one?" Marianna asked the little boy with a calming smile as she continues to play the instrument. But the boy just seemed to have become shy and looked away slowly.

"Oh, there you are Kuroe. I thought we lost you again…."

When Marianna looked, she saw the orphanage governess coming through the crowd of children and made her way towards the little boy and carried him gently.

"So his name is Kuroe, huh." Marianna said after finishing her playing of the harp and getting quite the cheer from the children. She then proceeded to pat the little boy gently on the head, making the boy blush. "Hmhm. I think he likes me."

"Hmhm. But he is quite the… adventurer if you ask me." The governess told Marianna amusingly. "Always wandering around the premises. He even managed to get slip pass the gates without us noticing."

"I see." Marianna said. "I hope you do take good care of this handsome little man."

"No worries, lady Marianna. We all properly take good care of the children here." The governess assured to Marianna.

"Well I will be leaving now." Marianna told the governess after saying her farewell to the children by waking at them and patting their heads gently with a smile.

"Take good care, my lady." The governess replied before seeing off Marianna.

When Marianna got out of the orphanage, instead of her usual route of heading back to the main hall of Dorfa, she instead went the other way and headed straight to a hospital. And when she reached the destination, before she could enter however, she saw Sherman coming out of the front doors of the hospital. And when he saw her, he gave out his usual greeting by smiling.

"Good evening, Marianna." Sherman greeted to the girl.

"Yeah, good evening." Marianna greeted back. "So, you visited the patients again, huh."

"Yes, I'm just checking up on them to see how they are doing." Sherman replied. "But sadly, the other one is still unconscious."

"I see."

"Are you gonna visit them as well?" Sherman asked Marianna.

"No, I just figured you'd be in here." Marianna answered nonchalantly. "The general has given us something to do, by the way."

"Hmhm. I understand." Sherman replied in a calm manner. "More about Dorfa's interests, I bet."

"Not really." Marianna told Sherman in slight disagreement. "It's about exterminating some ASIC remnants who are found wandering around just north of our land."

"I see. I guess the forces of darkness are still on the move, huh." Sherman said calmly.

"Yeah, that seems to be the case." Marianna replied before turning around to leave. "But…"

"Hmm?"

"…I don't think the forces of darkness will be really completely defeated anytime soon."

Arc One – Concluded

Thank you for your time reading my very first fan fiction. Hope to hear from you soon on the next Arc. - CloneNo. 9982


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